Light Changes Everything

In her warm-hearted latest, Turner (The Star Garden) returns to the Arizona Territories and the world of Sarah Agnes Prine. This time, the story begins in 1907 and is told by Sarah’s niece, 17-year-old Mary Pearl Prine, who rarely leaves home without her pistol and her beloved horse, Duende. Mary Pearl’s Aunt Sarah fostered a love of books and learning, and though Mary Pearl loves her large family, she longs to see the world outside her pa’s pecan farm, so she’s thrilled when she’s invited to attend art school at Wheaton College in Illinois. A quick betrothal complicates her plans, but at Wheaton she discovers a love of photography and finds joy in new friendships. After a terrible betrayal from someone close to her, Mary Pearl’s future is imperiled, and when range wars threaten her family, she leaves Wheaton to help. Turner’s satisfying, immersive, and often heart-pounding tale of one indomitable young woman’s frontier life, touched by tragedy and hope, is realistically drawn, and readers will warm to her portrayal of Mary Pearl’s chaotic but loving family life. Fans of the popular Sarah Agnes Prine novels and new readers alike will fall in love with the smart and spirited Mary Pearl. (Jan.)