43:T76b,In 1978, 20-year-old newlyweds, practical Kevin and idealistic Eleanor, explore the Canadian mountains in their VW van, find land, and build a tiny log cabin.
Setbacks and self-denial test their love and commitment.
For 4 months: Kevin builds, swinging his axe, alone in the wilderness, while Eleanor is paid $2.57 per hour, working as a waitress at a truck stop, earning $300 for cabin supplies.

After Christmas: Eleanor's cozy dream meets winter's harsh reality: Bitter cold. Enveloping darkness. Sudden poverty. Crushing isolation.
Readers notice four layers in every chapter: Eleanor's backstory and purpose, her daily experiences and challenges, her inner turmoil and clarity, her motivation and hope for the future.

Eleanor's wholesome, richly textured writing invites readers to see both her transformation as well as their own.

IDEAS: "I want to get married, go out west, build a log cabin, raise a bunch of kids, volunteer in my community, and then write a book about it."
ICE: "I told everyone we would be in by winter. If the first snowfall is the beginning of winter, do my coworkers see me as a failure, lazy, a liar, or a fraud? Their doubt feeds my self-doubt."

ISOLATION: "Nobody in the whole world knows where I am right now. I am a spec. Millions of mountains. Trillions of trees. Zillions of snowflakes. And me: Alone."
IDEALS: "Daddy told me, 'Ideals are all very well and good, but nobody can actually live by them.' But, I thought my father would be proud of me?"

10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION FEATURES:
- 70+ photos & drawings - 30+ inspiring quotations - Chart compares westward movement of the mid-1800s to 'Back-to-the-Land' movement of the mid-1900s - Book Club Discussion - Write Your 'Coming-of-Age' Memoir - Links to Eleanor's newspaper articles - Endnotes indicate more content found in 10 DAYS-1 VOICE series -

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