Synopsis (from Publishers Weekly):
A touching story of a series of tragic events in a small town in the years immediately preceding World War I. In the book's prologue we meet our narrator, Katy Thatcher, now an elderly woman and a retired physician. The rest of the book is her recollection of her friendship with and growing understanding of Jacob Stoltz, a mentally retarded boy who rarely speaks, loves animals, and possesses the capacity for tragedy and heroism.
Rants &Raves
An easy to read book. The story is about Katy's life; her family and how she wanted to be a doctor just like her father; their neighbor, the Bishops; and the Stoltz. Their househelp Peggy Stoltz had a brother, Jacob, who was "touched. She became friends with him and learned to understand in spite of Jacob not talking.
I liked its narration with dates and snapshots for each chapter. But what I liked best is at the last few pages, where the chapters were replaced by the characters and how they came to be. Most of the story held uneventful, every day routines through the eyes of a child. Its heartbreaking end seemed to put a dark halt. Its sad how autism, or people with developmental problems were misunderstood during those days.
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