Library Journal: Mitchell, an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, offers a deeply affecting account of immigrant struggles, reaching back into her own family history for the basis of her debut novel. After Theo and Maria Mykolayenko escape Stalin's purge in the Ukraine with their children, they start a new life on the sweeping plains of Canada in the 1930s. With the help of his sister Anna, who already has a homestead nearby, Theo acquires a homestead only to be beset by prairie fires, blizzards, and prowling coyotes. They work on against the odds to better their lives, but their good fortune is short-lived. Anna's good-for-nothing husband, Stefan, returns after a long absence. Stefan, the schemer, always with a deal in the works, orders Theo off his farm, then finds a loophole in Theo's homestead papers that creates legal troubles. Tragic in Shakespearean proportions, Mitchell's stark portrayal resembles Grapes of Wrath in its brutal description of immigrants' suffering and will to survive. This book will have immediate appeal to readers searching for superb historical fiction filled with tension, unforgettable characters, and a dramatic setting. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/09.]?Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO