Marie-Claire, living on the prairie in Canada at the beginning of World War II, doesn’t expect life to be easy. She works hard at her chores around the farm; she knows boys are going off to war. Even at 15, she is aware that life will exact a price. She never could’ve imagined, though, how high that price would be. When she contracts tuberculosis, Marie-Claire must move into a sanatorium for TB patients. Her life shudders to a crawl as she painfully works through the disease as well as her own anger and frustration at this card that life has dealt to her.

I REALLY liked this book. I liked Marie-Claire — she felt painfully real, and I shared her misery and her glimpses of happiness. The setting itself was so unique; I’m embarrassed to admit that I had no idea that such sanatoriums existed — where before antibiotics were available to treat TB, people would spend YEARS of their life in seclusion, trying to overcome this horrible disease. I actually even cried tears at one point in this story, it’s that carefully and beautifully written. The love story felt believable and realistic. It took me by the hand into a place I’ve never been and gave me a realistic and interesting journey.

Rated: Mild for 8 uses of mild language, 22+ uses of terms involving Deity, some kissing (nothing graphic) and hospital gore.