This is the story of the founding of the town of Union in the midcoast area of Maine. In 1786 when the town was established there were 17 families and 75 inhabitants. Although written as an historical novel, the people and events were all real, and many of the places, and names are familiar to those of us who live here in this area. Union today has a population of 2300. It is only 16 miles from where I live.

Starting in the 1770's and going until 1784, the story tells us how the central characters, Mima Robbins and Joel Adams, meet, court, eventually marry and ultimately produce 10 children; how they cleared the acres and acres of land of the thick forests of trees, planted crops, built houses, raised barns, hunted, trapped, lugged buckets of water, battled mosquitoes and black flies, and always, always, always had to be worrying about surviving the long cold winters. Always the thought was "Come Spring everything will be OK". As I sat here reading in my comfortable home with indoor plumbing, central heating, power, inter-connectivity with the world, instant access to news, enough healthy food to feed my family, and the knowledge that good medical care is only a 911 call away, I was in awe of the strength, fortitude and independent spirit of those early settlers. I don't know if I could have done it!

It's a lovely long winter's nap read and highly recommended to anyone who wants to get a real feel for what life was all about in the days of the Revolutionary War and the founding of our country. ( )