Acclaimed for her 1928 novel A Lantern in Her Hand, Bess Streeter Aldrich became one of the most widely read interpreters of the prairie pioneer experience. In 1935, she published her masterpiece, Spring Came on Forever, a novel of two Nebraska pioneer families from settlement to the 1930s. Elsewhere an artist of the romance, here Aldrich turns romance on its head. The heroine is Amalia Holmsdorfer, one of a band of German immigrants who settle on the prairie. From her late teens to her mid-eighties she confronts and defeats the forces of nature and society that discourage or ruin others. Her life might be a modest triumph but for one detail: she married the wrong man. Quickly paced and precisely drawn, this novel is Aldrich's greatest tribute to the complexity, humor, endurance, and intelligence of the people who settled the prairie. Whatever its sentiments, it has as many cutting edges as a buzz saw.

Mother Mason is a devoted wife, mother, and townswoman. She dotes on her four rowdy children and is involved with the library board and many women's clubs. Can Molly Mason grab some time for herself? Or will it all fall to pieces? Excerpt: "Mother sat in front of her Circassian walnut dressing table, her f--, no, plump form enveloped in lavender and green, chrysanthemum-covered, stork-bordered kimono, and surveyed herself in the glass. Mother was Mrs. Henry Y. Mason, and in Springtown, Nebraska, when one says "Henry Y." it conveys, proportionately, the same significance that it carries when the rest of the world says "John D."

Beloved by readers for decades, Bess Streeter Aldrich earned a national reputation with a long list of best-selling novels and with stories appearing in major magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Harper's Weekly, Colliers, McCalls, and The Saturday Evening Post. Her most famous novel, A Lantern in Her Hand, has remained a favorite since first published in 1928. Carol Miles Petersen has thoroughly researched Aldrich, consulting Aldrich's family, neighbors, and friends, poring over letters and newspapers, and reading Aldrich's work again and again. In Bess Streeter Aldrich she reveals a woman as strong and substantial as Aldrich's fictional heroines. Born in Iowa in 1881, Bess Streeter grew up and attended college there. After becoming a teacher, she met and fell in love with Charles "Cap" Aldrich, formerly Captain in the U.S. Army. After their marriage in 1907, they moved to Elmwood, Nebraska, where Bess devoted herself to raising children while Cap became a banker. Bess began to write and sell short stories, winning a national award and enjoying the celebrity of a famous author. It appeared that the Aldriches would live happily ever after; however, in 1925, Captain Aldrich suddenly died. The responsibilities of raising the family and managing the bank as a partial owner fell upon Bess. With the stock market crash of 1929, the nation's banking system spun into chaos-more than ever, her family, her bank, and her town depended on Bess. Aldrich's heroism is of the old-fashioned kind, not a moment of glory but a lifetime of effort, not a battle with a foe but a creation of love, humor, and kindness. Her stories were written to remind her readers of the joy of life. Carol Miles Petersenformerly taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is editor of the Collected Short Works of Bess Streeter Aldrich (Nebraska 1995).

"A western story set in a small town in Nebraska on 'the rim of the prairie.' The characters include a tantalizing heroine made more attractive by a hint of mystery, a steadfast hero, and two delightful pioneers."--Cleveland Open Shelf "Very well written. Mrs. Aldrich realizes real, living figures."--Literary Review "Exciting and realistic. A wholesome story without being sentimental or cloying."--Boston Transcript "An understanding presentation of small town life with a pioneer background. Good for any library."--Wilson Library Journal

Contains twelve short Christmas stories about reunited families, fellowship, and restored faith including 'I Remember,' a story about the author's childhood in Iowa.