This is a rare gem of a story. This is about a close community of miners -- many of whom happen to be Mormons. Della, a poor relation of a prominent Salt Lake family, decides to upturn her safe, boring life by returning to her roots. She decides to teach in a poor mining community. Della lived her early years in a Colorado mining town until her father was killed and she was sent to relatives in Slat Lake.
Della is a committed, intelligent teacher who takes on the task of teaching the early primary (grades 1 - 3) at the school. She immediately runs into a cantankerous principal, who forces Della to become more assertive.
I thought the romance was realistic and slow to develop. It took me two years to read this book because I knew that it was about a terrible mining accident that took place in 1900 in Utah. However, if anything, this story was uplifting. It speaks to the dignity of work and the kindness of strangers when things are hard. Highly recommended.
Della is a committed, intelligent teacher who takes on the task of teaching the early primary (grades 1 - 3) at the school. She immediately runs into a cantankerous principal, who forces Della to become more assertive.
I thought the romance was realistic and slow to develop. It took me two years to read this book because I knew that it was about a terrible mining accident that took place in 1900 in Utah. However, if anything, this story was uplifting. It speaks to the dignity of work and the kindness of strangers when things are hard. Highly recommended.
