Catherwood is the very best fictional account of motherhood that I have ever read. I first read it when my son was small, and I finished it under a tree in the woods behind our house, crying. I know that sounds dramatic--or dare I say hysterical?--but this book grabbed me by the heart. It is also very engaging as a piece of historical fiction, set in the early days of the English colonization of the New World. The tone is almost one of magic realism. All of the events of the novel are firmly grounded in reality, but the characters' perceptions of the world around them is colored by their spiritual beliefs.

Youmans now writes young adult fantasy novels. They are somewhat similar in their settings--the mythic deep woods of the Smokies.

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