This first-person narrative focuses closely on Anastasia’s relationships and what it takes for her to survive. She is a compelling narrator, alert, practical, and shrewd.

Maynard touches on many relevant topics—religious divisions, smallpox inoculation, the guild system—within the context of the narrative, revealing substantial research and knowledge without burying readers in an excess of information. . . .

Maynard delivers an engrossing and well-developed novel that should appeal to fans of women’s

fiction.”