Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart
“In language that is childishly simple and yet vivid with detail, Williams touches on something authentic about the girls and their lives, whether it is the sound of their voices in a quarrel or at play, their delight in a new friend, or the vicissitudes of their family’s financial straits…She graces both girls with resilience and pluck without ever sentimentalizing them or circumstances, and she captures the fear and the loneliness, the burden, of their premature self-reliance without ever losing sight of their still childish capacity for joy and playfulness.”
New York Times
A funny book that makes you cry. A sad book that makes you laugh. A book about two sisters and their family that makes you wish you were part of it--and grateful that you are not. In short, this book is one surprise after another. The only thing that is not a surprise is that Vera B. Williams has created a wholly unforgettable, absolutely wonderful portrait of Amber, Essie, and their world. Open the book. You will never be the same again.
Praise