Date of Review:

04/28/2008

Published Work:

A Difficult Boy

Reviewer:

Source:

Publisher's Weekly

Review Excerpt:

"Barker’s gift for historical detail illuminates this absorbing first novel, accurately portraying the pleasures and the harsh realities of 19th-century Massachusetts farm life. From describing exactly how to milk a treacherous cow to the precise way a servant ties and knots her shawl over a dress that is 'the color of an overdone Indian pudding,' the author adds authenticity to her well-constructed story...Readers will like this book for its attention to heady issues like early prejudice against the Irish (Daniel is Irish) and the treatment of indentured servants as young as themselves, and for its satisfying and hopeful conclusion."

Link to Full Review:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6554734.html?industryid=47139