Descend Again

Her concentrated evocation of the dusty little town is superb.

The Times Literary Supplement

She makes the impact of an original.

The New Statesman, U.K.

For this reason, when Millie Delaney was orphaned at the age of thirteen and left alone in her father’s house with an invalid step-great-grandmother of eighty-two, concern for her future had been briefly and charitably expressed. Then, as no one offered any further provision for her, the good people of Sintiempo thanked God that she had not been left entirely alone, and assured each other of their confidence in her pluck. They sent her pies. They seemed as unaware as Millie surely was that she was provided neither the freedom nor the guidance that parents are generally expected to bestow. She became both self-sufficient and quaint.