Light Changes Everything

September 2, 2019
In her warm-hearted latest, Turner (The Star Garden) returns to the Arizona Territories and the world of Sarah Agnes Prine. This time, the story begins in 1907 and is told by Sarah’s niece, 17-year-old Mary Pearl Prine, who rarely leaves home without her pistol and her beloved horse, Duende. Mary Pearl’s Aunt Sarah fostered a love of books and learning, and though Mary Pearl loves her large family, she longs to see the world outside her pa’s pecan farm, so she’s thrilled when she’s invited to attend art school at Wheaton College in Illinois. A quick betrothal complicates her plans, but at Wheaton she discovers a love of photography and finds joy in new friendships. After a terrible betrayal from someone close to her, Mary Pearl’s future is imperiled, and when range wars threaten her family, she leaves Wheaton to help. Turner’s satisfying, immersive, and often heart-pounding tale of one indomitable young woman’s frontier life, touched by tragedy and hope, is realistically drawn, and readers will warm to her portrayal of Mary Pearl’s chaotic but loving family life. Fans of the popular Sarah Agnes Prine novels and new readers alike will fall in love with the smart and spirited Mary Pearl.

December 1, 2019
Spanning from the hot rugged Arizona territory to the cultured halls of Wheaton College in Massachusetts, the story of Mary Pearl Prine's feminist awakening is set in the summer of 1907. Seventeen years old and pursued by an unlikely wealthy suitor, Mary wants more from life and isn't afraid of stepping into the unknown, against the expectations of others and despite challenges posed by her family. She experiences a culture shock upon arriving at school after putting off marriage and finds herself the wild cowgirl, practicing shooting while the other girls in her class put on their white dresses and attend parties. Family drama draws her back home to confront a series of tragedies that her strong, independent spirit struggles to survive. Part adventure and part coming of age tale, Turner's latest (after My Name is Resolute, 2014) is a glimpse into the hard life of the territories at the turn of the century juxtaposed against east coast finery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)