MACINNES, HELEN — Rest and Be Thankful

Fontana 1981 fifth pr. of 1973 317p. . SOFTCOVER: (Orig. paperback.Llight tanning & (Orig. paperbback, foxing/soiling to page edges,A good reading copy. ) RARE No other copy with this cover. Be Thankful' is the name given to a green island, sheltering between the forks of Crazy Creek, high in the Wyoming hills. Here, in pioneer days wagon trains coming over the Stoneyway Trail halted before they continued westward. Here, in the early summer of 1948, came two friends. " Mrs. Margaret Peel and Miss Sarah Bly had traveled a long way from France, longer still from the salons of prewar Paris. But, via New York, they brought with them their habit of fostering young literary hopefuls. So, having tumbled upon their island in Wyoming, they wanted to share it. The story lies in the varied reactions of the Easterners when they are confronted not only by the scenic grandeurs of the West but by the genial frankness of their neighbors, the owner and cowboys of Flying Tail Ranch. " For Margaret Peel, Rest and Be Thankful is the place where it no longer seems important to hide one's past. For Sarah - soon Sally - Bly, it means freedom to love and live again. And for Jim Brent, who had owned the island as well as the ranch, the coming of the strangers meant no rest for a cowboy, certainly, but great cause for thankfulness in the end. " A charming depiction of mid 20th century small town America, and showing Helen MacInnes' genius for depicting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.