Leigh reviewed on 11/19/2008 + 378 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This is an interesting collection of short anecdotes centered around the small town of Haines, Alaska. Each has a homey feel, complete with eccentric townspeople and quirky events; for instance, parading a Dragon around at Christmastime. It somewhat reminded me of an indy movie, mixed with an episode of "Northern Exposure." Some of the author's insights are well-written and beautiful (the last story, especially, about her dog - it ripped my heart out). A good deal of this writing contains run-on sentences. For a professional writer, I was shocked that she didn't edit this better.

What I enjoyed most about this book was its depiction of life in a small town through obituaries. The writer effectively communicated the joy of living in Haines using a series of obituaries she writes for the paper there. She includes a "Duly Noted" page between short chapters to give the reader a flavor of the town news in Haines.

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