This book was one of the best books I've ever read - from the moment my school librarian pointed it out to me ( a worn copy with golden aged pages) I was officially in love. I kept the copy way over its due date and re-borrowed it through the year. When the library took it away to be replaced (and it never was), the story - haunting and bittersweet as an echo - stuck with me for years. When I rediscovered a copy online, it was that moment where everything came back to me. A tale that I'll never forget.The heroine Elnora is every girl's dream for a heroine - hard past, longing for love, a dreamer and yet holds her values and remains true despite how her heart may break. Her mother breaks your heart with her suppressing the love she has for her 'unwanted' daughter. And of course - the guy - is like Mr. Darcy, Gilbert Blythe and Jesse Tuck rolled into one.
The book has that feeling, as if it is divided into two. The first half, Elnora's teen years and the struggle to understand the relationships between her, her mother and her dead father. Her neighbours are the cutest couple and that scene where the woman buys all the stuff to make Elnora look pretty for school so no one makes fun of her anymore if sweet. The second half follows the journey into adulthood, the finding of true love and the understanding of sacrifice and what it means to really love someone and what you would do for that person.
It may sound old, and stiff, but it is truly an ageless story. I would recommend it to anyone, anywhere, to follow the journey of Elnora and to be awed by its brilliant simplicity like I was and will always be.
