The last installment of the story of the Bonner family was an emotional and satisfying conclusion to this wonderful series. It opens with a prologue narrated by one of my favorite characters and just gets better.
It is 1823 and we are brought up to date on what has happened with Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner and their children, spouses and grandchildren since the last book, which ended in 1815. As with any large family, there are joys, problems, challenges and sorrows.
Overseeing all this is Elizabeth, Nathaniel, and of course, Curiosity. The youngest Bonner, Birdie, is a delight to read. She reminds me a little of Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. The only adult Bonner offspring not married is Daniel, who tends to keep to himself because of a painful war wound that has not healed. Martha Wilde has returned to Paradise with problems of her own, but it is not long before Daniel takes a new interest in his surroundings, namely Martha. When Martha's mother, Jemima, comes back to Paradise and wants to see Martha, the Bonners "circle the wagons" for her. Jemima left Paradise under a cloud of suspicion and animosity. She also left her daughter and step-daughter, Callie, behind. Callie is also beset by problems. Problems that effect her relationship with just about everyone, but especially her stepsister. The root of these problems is Jemima, Martha's mother.
There were also times of joy and amusement, like the Bonner family Sunday dinners, Birdie's take on events happening to her family and her endurance of the little people. Nicholas. I especially enjoyed the description of the Mohawk dances, first with the men and then with the men and women.
I felt this was a book of closure, not only for the series, but for Martha, Callie and Jemima. All of these women were marked by life's circumstances and it was how they handled these circumstances that determined their fate and their legacies. The closure continued with the epilogue, which brought tears to my eyes at certain points. This was a wonderful ending to a wonderful series.