Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner

For me, a favorite author of historical fiction is Nancy E. Turner (These is My Words, Sarah’s Quilt) and I certainly enjoyed her newest which is titled LIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING. Here, she again shares stories of the Prine family, this time primarily about Mary Pearl (Sarah’s niece) who plans to leave the Arizona Territory to attend Wheaton College in Illinois. It is 1907 and when Mary Pearl and her horse arrive at college, there is some consternation, but perhaps not as much as the conflict and concern caused by Mary Pearl leaving behind a rich beau ("People were more tangled up about getting hitched and swooning over some lover or other than they were about the lack of rain or the cost of a new saddle"). Although occurring over a century ago, this story certainly has parallels to the choices faced by young women today. Thinking "was this all growing up was, feeling more and more lost and unconnected," Mary Pearl struggles with making friends, finding herself, dealing with tragedy and staying loyal to family. Recommended for fans of frontier novels and historical fiction.