This novel was a gorgeous insight into life in the 1910s and into what home truly means.

Liddie was a spunky star who broke norms by working two jobs at one point, in sewing and in photography, both fields that she felt very passionate about. I absolutely adored her enthusiasm and willingness to break boundaries.

Letters inserted occasionally showed how she felt and how she communicated with her peers at the time. These details were intriguing as they showed how people a century ago shared information in such a different fashion through what she chose to put in and leave out.

Other characters did feel a little two-dimensional at points, but I think this was a result of the time period and how relationships operated in such a different fashion.

My favourite part about this book was in how parts just felt like reading about an absolutely ordinary lady living an ordinary life in the 10s, with fears about work, about love, about marriage and children, and all kinds of really simple things. In some ways, I could really relate to her feelings and emotions, but her circumstances and perspectives were at the same time entirely different.

I thought initially that the book could have ended about three-fourths of the way through after a major wedding. Events that followed showed why Bodensteiner chose to continue it, but the main adventure was over.

Liddie's perspective on home and what it meant to her changed gradually throughout the book and I feel like I really saw her grow up and grow into herself.

This book was slow at points and I wish it could have been paced a little more rapidly. However, it did what it did, creating a very accurate portrayal of 1910s life, very accurately and I'd definitely read more by Bodensteiner. I was very impressed with how real everything felt and how much detail was put in. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or exploring other time periods.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was another fine historical fiction book that I really enjoyed. It follows the life of a young pre-teen girl through a few decades of her life beginning in 1913 Iowa on her family's farm. She dreams of having a life that's different from ending up a farmer's wife. Her journey is a glimpse into the social and regional times of a young woman of that time. She wanted to work and have a career at a time that this was still considered something only poor women needed to do. The expectation was only to get married and be a wife. She was also very interested in politics and the fact that women were slowly being allowed to vote in certain states.

My only reason for not giving this 5 stars is that the book ended with me still wanting to know if Liddie, the central character, had succeeded on her plans for the rest of her life, after a life-changing event. ( )

There aren't many options for a young woman growing up on a family farm in the early 1900's, but Liddie Treadway is determined to pursue a career instead of getting married and starting a family. She patiently waits for the day when both of her parents agree to let her work as a seamstress in town. Several obstacles are thrown into Liddie's path but eventually her dream comes true. She loves her independence, her employer, and her new friend Minnie. She even has a new-found passion: photography; but she misses her family and friends and the life she once had at the farm. Liddie must decide what she truly wants - a life of adventure or a life of love.

I wanted to like this book. I felt as though the characters were mostly one-dimensional and flat. The book itself is forgettable. ( )

This is a very gentle story. I think it could really do with a lot more conflict and drama - everything is resolved too easily. Nevertheless, it did grow on me the more I read it. I think the strength of the story lies in its rendering of everyday life. Liddie is a very believable character. I just have to point out that all the German nouns should be spelt with a capital letter - that error really grated on me. Otherwise there were only very minor typos in the text. ( )

Baking bread begins and ends this book and it is precisely the right activity to have been chosen for the main character to be engaged in. Bread starts out as ingredients mixed then formed together, it requires attention before it is left to rise, it requires being punched down again so it can rise again and then it needs to be subjected to heat before it is done and able to nourish.

Liddie’s life is much like the bread she works on at the beginning and end of her story. Living in the early 1900’s on a farm with her family she has dreams of more than being a farmer’s wife and is subject to a number or blows before she finally achieves some of her. This story tells more than the story of Liddie and her wishes, work to become independent and adventures in love then as a wife. It describes beautifully what it might have been like to live when women did not have the vote, men made many decisions for women, women’s work was never done, loved ones and neighbors were at war and bigotry might flare, influenza ravaged communities, and much more.

Liddie manages to rise as her bread does and is forged into a stronger woman through the heat she endures at various times in her life. The ending is not what I was expecting but I was left feeling that Liddie and her family would manage to pull together and keep the family moving forward in a positive manner. ( )