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Copper Sky
The feminine spirit of the West comes alive in early twentieth century Montana.
Set in the Copper Camp of Butte, Montana in 1917, Copper Sky tells the story of two women with opposite lives. Kaly Shane, mired in prostitution, struggles to find a safe home for her unborn child, while Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant, dodges a pre-arranged marriage to become a doctor. As their paths cross, and they become unlikely friends, neither knows the family secret that ties them together.
“A dazzling heartfelt epic of friendship and loss, love and renewal. Copper Sky conjures the unimaginable heartbreak of Butte’s history with compassion and grand vision and a storyteller’s genius. If you love Montana’s rich and ghosted past, don’t miss this read.”—Debra Magpie Earling, author of Perma Red
“A riveting story of darkness and redemption...”—Phil Condon, author of Clay Center, Montana Surround, and Nine Ten Again
“This splendid debut carries readers into the textured dimension of Butte’s vivid and perseverant heart.”—Sid Gustafson, author of Swift Dam
Set in the Copper Camp of Butte, Montana in 1917, Copper Sky tells the story of two women with opposite lives. Kaly Shane, mired in prostitution, struggles to find a safe home for her unborn child, while Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant, dodges a pre-arranged marriage to become a doctor. As their paths cross, and they become unlikely friends, neither knows the family secret that ties them together.
“A dazzling heartfelt epic of friendship and loss, love and renewal. Copper Sky conjures the unimaginable heartbreak of Butte’s history with compassion and grand vision and a storyteller’s genius. If you love Montana’s rich and ghosted past, don’t miss this read.”—Debra Magpie Earling, author of Perma Red
“A riveting story of darkness and redemption...”—Phil Condon, author of Clay Center, Montana Surround, and Nine Ten Again
“This splendid debut carries readers into the textured dimension of Butte’s vivid and perseverant heart.”—Sid Gustafson, author of Swift Dam
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2017
35 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
About the author
Milana Marsenich
5 books56 followersMilana Marsenich lives in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake at the base of the beautiful Mission Mountains. She enjoys quick access to the mountains and has spent many hours hiking the wilderness trails with friends and dogs. For the past 20 years she has worked as a mental health therapist in a variety of settings. As a natural listener and a therapist, she has witnessed amazing generosity and courage in others. She first witnessed this in her hometown of Butte, Montana, a mining town with a rich history and the setting for Copper Sky. She has an M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. She has previously published in Montana Quarterly, Big Sky Journal, The Polishing Stone, and Feminist Studies. She has a short story included in The Montana Quarterly book Montana, Warts and All, The Best From Our First Decade. Copper Sky is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 23, 2019
4.5 coppers
This character-driven expose into the early 20th-century life out West is a compelling slice of American pie. On the outside, the copper color of the cover invites to something warm and delicious to be had on the inside, but don't be fooled, what you will find is anything but sweetness alone. Hardship, disaster, perseverance, loyalty, intrigue, loss, and love combined created the recipe for this engaging, heartfelt and tragic novel.
Welcome to Butte, Montana 1895. A city in southwest Montana that established as a gold and silver mining town in the 1860s and later became a hotbed for its rich copper storage. A melting pot of immigrant workers, the rich and the poor. A place where tycoons excel while mine workers lay their lives on the line to make a living and feed their families.
I've never been to Butte, Montana but I have visited coal mining towns and historic sites in West Virginia. As far as I can imagine a mining camp, there's everything to be had to live a hard-earned semi-comfortable life (at the time), with schools, a commissary and a post office set up. As human nature goes, there's always room for the sinister and corrupt in circles of bars and pleasure houses where a lot of living and dealing goes on behind the scenes. This book delves into both of those worlds and sometimes the lines get blurry and fade into the other.
Marsenich's novel was in part inspired by the warehouse fire that ignited a large store of dynamite resulting in a great explosion that devastated several blocks of Butte, Montana, and killed an estimated 58 people as well as the disaster of the Speculator Mine in 1917. With liberty on the events, Copper Sky spans a compelling plot throughout the time frame of both events with two fierce female main characters, their coming of age and a family secret that connects them unexpectedly.
Kaly and her sister Anne Marie are orphaned twins and grow up in a house for wayward children. When they are young, playing outside, a great explosion rattles the town and they become witnesses of the devastating event. When the dust settles, body parts were strewn everywhere. A never ending nightmare that accompanies the girls daily.
A few years later, tragedy befalls the girls directly. Kaly is assaulted and raped, while Anne Marie is found dead on a cold, cold winter day. This loss has impacted Kaly greatly for the years to come. As natural causes have been ruled out, a young man is accused of the crime and is sent off.
Kaly has never lost her intuition that the wrong person was taken for the crime. In her nightmares, she sees a man with a big scar on his face.
As she finds herself lost, without a family as a young adult working in local pleasure houses, pregnancy is the last thing she needs to turn her life around.
Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant finds herself on an opposite end. Her family is well known and liked. Their family value and ties to their heritage are strong and honored. She is to be married to a man she does not even know, but her dreams are to become a doctor. With the energy and full determination to make this dream come true, she opposes her father every chance she gets and with a small bag of tinctures, herbs, and ointments she goes around town, trying to help the ill and do good. A local doctor finds her pestilent insistence annoying yet intriguing.
By chance, Marika and Kaly meet and for Kaly, their connection is imminently one of warmth and friendship. Their lives could not be more different, yet they are brought together for the better.
As the sinister is happening in bars and brawls, it is difficult to sort out characters to trust. Some have a dark past and it's hidden, while other's blankly flaunt their credible selfishness and menace.
The girls are struggling in their own rights against the demons holding them back. Heartfelt and courageous, this story is full of missed chances and lessons learned. A plot that's intriguing as you watch it all unfold on the sideline.
Will Kaly find the murderer of her sister? Will she see the truth right in front of her eyes?
Will Marika be able to study medicine and dodge marriage to a man she does not know or love?
Both of them will have to take a leap of faith and take a chance. Life changing.
***
I very much enjoyed this novel of tender and deeply moving characterizations. In part coming of age and honoring the events that really happened in the mines in Butte, Montana, it is a beautiful tribute to the tenacity of life in its time.
This was Marsenich's debut novel which I read after her novel 'The Swan Keeper' and both of them are highly commendable and recommendable books. I would read anything she writes for her eloquence and beautiful prose.
I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
This review and others can be found here:
https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/
I have some links attached and a writing sample for you to peak at on my site. Enjoy :)
This character-driven expose into the early 20th-century life out West is a compelling slice of American pie. On the outside, the copper color of the cover invites to something warm and delicious to be had on the inside, but don't be fooled, what you will find is anything but sweetness alone. Hardship, disaster, perseverance, loyalty, intrigue, loss, and love combined created the recipe for this engaging, heartfelt and tragic novel.
Welcome to Butte, Montana 1895. A city in southwest Montana that established as a gold and silver mining town in the 1860s and later became a hotbed for its rich copper storage. A melting pot of immigrant workers, the rich and the poor. A place where tycoons excel while mine workers lay their lives on the line to make a living and feed their families.
I've never been to Butte, Montana but I have visited coal mining towns and historic sites in West Virginia. As far as I can imagine a mining camp, there's everything to be had to live a hard-earned semi-comfortable life (at the time), with schools, a commissary and a post office set up. As human nature goes, there's always room for the sinister and corrupt in circles of bars and pleasure houses where a lot of living and dealing goes on behind the scenes. This book delves into both of those worlds and sometimes the lines get blurry and fade into the other.
Marsenich's novel was in part inspired by the warehouse fire that ignited a large store of dynamite resulting in a great explosion that devastated several blocks of Butte, Montana, and killed an estimated 58 people as well as the disaster of the Speculator Mine in 1917. With liberty on the events, Copper Sky spans a compelling plot throughout the time frame of both events with two fierce female main characters, their coming of age and a family secret that connects them unexpectedly.
Kaly and her sister Anne Marie are orphaned twins and grow up in a house for wayward children. When they are young, playing outside, a great explosion rattles the town and they become witnesses of the devastating event. When the dust settles, body parts were strewn everywhere. A never ending nightmare that accompanies the girls daily.
A few years later, tragedy befalls the girls directly. Kaly is assaulted and raped, while Anne Marie is found dead on a cold, cold winter day. This loss has impacted Kaly greatly for the years to come. As natural causes have been ruled out, a young man is accused of the crime and is sent off.
Kaly has never lost her intuition that the wrong person was taken for the crime. In her nightmares, she sees a man with a big scar on his face.
As she finds herself lost, without a family as a young adult working in local pleasure houses, pregnancy is the last thing she needs to turn her life around.
Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant finds herself on an opposite end. Her family is well known and liked. Their family value and ties to their heritage are strong and honored. She is to be married to a man she does not even know, but her dreams are to become a doctor. With the energy and full determination to make this dream come true, she opposes her father every chance she gets and with a small bag of tinctures, herbs, and ointments she goes around town, trying to help the ill and do good. A local doctor finds her pestilent insistence annoying yet intriguing.
By chance, Marika and Kaly meet and for Kaly, their connection is imminently one of warmth and friendship. Their lives could not be more different, yet they are brought together for the better.
As the sinister is happening in bars and brawls, it is difficult to sort out characters to trust. Some have a dark past and it's hidden, while other's blankly flaunt their credible selfishness and menace.
The girls are struggling in their own rights against the demons holding them back. Heartfelt and courageous, this story is full of missed chances and lessons learned. A plot that's intriguing as you watch it all unfold on the sideline.
Will Kaly find the murderer of her sister? Will she see the truth right in front of her eyes?
Will Marika be able to study medicine and dodge marriage to a man she does not know or love?
Both of them will have to take a leap of faith and take a chance. Life changing.
***
I very much enjoyed this novel of tender and deeply moving characterizations. In part coming of age and honoring the events that really happened in the mines in Butte, Montana, it is a beautiful tribute to the tenacity of life in its time.
This was Marsenich's debut novel which I read after her novel 'The Swan Keeper' and both of them are highly commendable and recommendable books. I would read anything she writes for her eloquence and beautiful prose.
I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
This review and others can be found here:
https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/
I have some links attached and a writing sample for you to peak at on my site. Enjoy :)
January 16, 2018
In her smashing debut novel, Milana Marsenich brazenly took me by the arm and whisked me back in time to the waiting arms of Butte, Montana. Turned back the hands of time to a little more than a century. One of my favorite time periods. This character-driven tale inflicted upon me the raw anguish and savage fury sketched upon many twisted lives in search of their elusive dreams. Most shattered. This well written narrative gathered momentum as the scenes gracefully skipped along the pages. A gentle surge of electricity filled my body with every passing moment. My heart skipped a beat to an ending well worth waiting for. Touched me deeply.
Orphaned twins, Kaly and Anne Marie were abandoned to the care of Miss Coral Anderson. A house for wayward children. Known by folks around town as the Polly May. For all intents and purposes, an orphanage. The year was 1895, in the bustling city of Butte, Montana. Copper mining town. Here a man could earn a decent day's wage laboring underground in the defiant shafts. But with it came great risk. Many perished. That same year a terrible fire triggered a disastrous explosion that had stolen the lives of dozens of townspeople. Charred bodies and nameless limbs littered the street. A night the 5-year-old twins would never forget.
Five years later on a cold winter's night, Anne Marie was found lifeless lying in a mound of snow. Natural causes ruled out. That same day Kaly had been brutally attacked and raped. Only 10 years old. Her sister's death haunted her well into adulthood. Knew she'd never shake it. Always wanted to bring the murderer to justice. Knew that day would eventually come. So she hoped.
Teetering on the edge of World War I, Kaly now an adult had lived a life of loneliness. No one to call family. Unskilled and having to fend for herself, she resorted to a life of prostitution. One evening she had an unfortunate altercation with an unruly drunkard. Left her with serious injuries. That's when she came to meet 17-year-old Marika Lailich. Assisting the town doctor, the young girl came to help care for her injuries. At the time, little did they know of the buried secrets that would soon come to intertwine their lives.
My thanks to the author for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.
Orphaned twins, Kaly and Anne Marie were abandoned to the care of Miss Coral Anderson. A house for wayward children. Known by folks around town as the Polly May. For all intents and purposes, an orphanage. The year was 1895, in the bustling city of Butte, Montana. Copper mining town. Here a man could earn a decent day's wage laboring underground in the defiant shafts. But with it came great risk. Many perished. That same year a terrible fire triggered a disastrous explosion that had stolen the lives of dozens of townspeople. Charred bodies and nameless limbs littered the street. A night the 5-year-old twins would never forget.
Five years later on a cold winter's night, Anne Marie was found lifeless lying in a mound of snow. Natural causes ruled out. That same day Kaly had been brutally attacked and raped. Only 10 years old. Her sister's death haunted her well into adulthood. Knew she'd never shake it. Always wanted to bring the murderer to justice. Knew that day would eventually come. So she hoped.
Teetering on the edge of World War I, Kaly now an adult had lived a life of loneliness. No one to call family. Unskilled and having to fend for herself, she resorted to a life of prostitution. One evening she had an unfortunate altercation with an unruly drunkard. Left her with serious injuries. That's when she came to meet 17-year-old Marika Lailich. Assisting the town doctor, the young girl came to help care for her injuries. At the time, little did they know of the buried secrets that would soon come to intertwine their lives.
My thanks to the author for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 13, 2017
A gritty yet lyrical slice of raw Butte life in 1917. Copper Sky takes the reader deep into the mining town’s rowdy, twisting back alleys through the eyes of two unlikely female characters – a troubled, 27-year-old working girl from Butte’s infamous red light district and a sheltered, 17-year-old immigrant from Montenegro. Author Milana Marsenich delivers a rare treat: authentic, well-researched Butte history told from a feminine perspective. Her richly textured story intertwines the women’s lives, gracefully painting them against the vivid, violent backdrop of two real Butte tragedies: the Warehouse Fire of 1895 and the Speculator Mine Disaster of 1917. I highly recommend Copper Sky to anyone who enjoys reading beautifully written literary fiction.
November 1, 2017
The author had me at the first page. I loved her writing style and her descriptions made me feel like I was right at the scene with the characters-and I love that. Her prose, especially about the weather and physical conditions of Butte were stunning and you could feel the dust and feel the cold winds. To see the lives of two young women from opposite lives unfold in this mining town and the options they had or didn't have was extremely well presented and anyone who enjoys historical fiction will love this book. I didn't want it to end!
November 9, 2017
In Milana Marsenich’s Copper Sky, the first poetic paragraphs hint at all that is to come in this slice-of-life homage to one of Montana’s most notorious towns. Dropped onto the winter streets of Butte, I felt the biting wind and smelled the signature scents of “pasties, polenta, povetica, calzones and spring rolls”. I saw the homeless, white dog make his rounds like any other day.
Except that on this particular day, the 1895 warehouse fire and explosions orphan two sisters, as well as the boys who become their ‘brothers’ at the orphanage. Their parents were among the fifty-one people who died and hundreds who were dismembered in an instant. Others who care about the children are powerless to intervene in the downward trajectory of these young, fragile lives. Even the white dog attempts to watch over them as his story weaves together with theirs.
Marsenich's snapshot of early 20th century Butte unfolds through the lives of those from ethnic enclaves-Slavic, Irish, European, Russian-who manage to survive the human brutality, the cold winters, and the killing mines, day to day. Brilliantly rendered, these communities with their unique languages and customs manage to produce offspring who break out of the confines of their native tongue, defying centuries of tradition to recklessly love who they will.
In an environment this volatile and complicated, bonds formed across ethnic and class lines can become either precious commodities or enslaving exploitation. To become friends, Marika and Kaly (the orphaned sister), must transcend the Serbian taboos of Marika’s family and the shame of Kaly’s livelihood. They stumble together onto family secrets that can liberate “the orphan-siblings” from the stranglehold of their traumatic past. But will they escape? Will I ever know who killed Kaly's sister, Anne-Marie? Marsenich, a raconteur of the highest caliber, kept me in suspense until the very last page. I eagerly await her next novel as I welcome Copper Sky onto my top ten list!
Except that on this particular day, the 1895 warehouse fire and explosions orphan two sisters, as well as the boys who become their ‘brothers’ at the orphanage. Their parents were among the fifty-one people who died and hundreds who were dismembered in an instant. Others who care about the children are powerless to intervene in the downward trajectory of these young, fragile lives. Even the white dog attempts to watch over them as his story weaves together with theirs.
Marsenich's snapshot of early 20th century Butte unfolds through the lives of those from ethnic enclaves-Slavic, Irish, European, Russian-who manage to survive the human brutality, the cold winters, and the killing mines, day to day. Brilliantly rendered, these communities with their unique languages and customs manage to produce offspring who break out of the confines of their native tongue, defying centuries of tradition to recklessly love who they will.
In an environment this volatile and complicated, bonds formed across ethnic and class lines can become either precious commodities or enslaving exploitation. To become friends, Marika and Kaly (the orphaned sister), must transcend the Serbian taboos of Marika’s family and the shame of Kaly’s livelihood. They stumble together onto family secrets that can liberate “the orphan-siblings” from the stranglehold of their traumatic past. But will they escape? Will I ever know who killed Kaly's sister, Anne-Marie? Marsenich, a raconteur of the highest caliber, kept me in suspense until the very last page. I eagerly await her next novel as I welcome Copper Sky onto my top ten list!
October 11, 2020
Review of Copper Sky
Montana. Early 2oth Century. Mining town. The set-up is terrific and I immediately became entrenched in the story! The author didn’t let me down for a single solitary second! The Plot is intricate and well-developed. The characterization, meaning the physical descriptions, actions, inner thoughts, reactions, and speech of each character hit the nail on the proverbial head. I found Kaly and Marika to be as near perfect as possible, and I was willing to follow them around for 336 pages which flew by! The other minor characters were not stick figures, but also well-rounded. Let me say a word about the writing. It’s such a pleasure and it’s so fantastic when an author picks up a book that is well-written in every sense. Needless to say, but I will for those who may read this review, I thought this book was “A letter-pitch-perfect.” My sincerest compliments to Milana Marsenich for a beautifully rendered novel.
Montana. Early 2oth Century. Mining town. The set-up is terrific and I immediately became entrenched in the story! The author didn’t let me down for a single solitary second! The Plot is intricate and well-developed. The characterization, meaning the physical descriptions, actions, inner thoughts, reactions, and speech of each character hit the nail on the proverbial head. I found Kaly and Marika to be as near perfect as possible, and I was willing to follow them around for 336 pages which flew by! The other minor characters were not stick figures, but also well-rounded. Let me say a word about the writing. It’s such a pleasure and it’s so fantastic when an author picks up a book that is well-written in every sense. Needless to say, but I will for those who may read this review, I thought this book was “A letter-pitch-perfect.” My sincerest compliments to Milana Marsenich for a beautifully rendered novel.
July 11, 2022
This was an interesting read to get perspective of women’s issues in a mining town at the turn of the century. The story was interesting and the two main characters lives were woven together quite nicely. It seemed like the book could really use another round of editing because it went over the same plot points a few too many times. Some chapters seemed like they were standalone short stories. Maybe those could of been excluded. The story definitely could of be told in a hundred less pages. There were some well done twists (and some obvious ones). Overall it was a good read to pair with a visit to Butte, Montana to learn about the history there.
January 10, 2021
Captivating characters, delicious descriptions, and intriguing plot twists. Copper Sky was a delight to read. The author has such a love for the history of Butte and it's apparent on each page. I myself am not from the area, nor have I visited (yet), but I find myself fascinated by Butte's history and eager to learn more. Currently I'm on to Milana's next book The Swan Keeper and can't wait to report back!
July 9, 2017
Fully imagined people emerge from this book and are still hanging around days after I finished it. I expected to enjoy a story set in the phenomenon that was Butte a century ago. I did not expect to be haunted by its characters. Marsenich lures the reader into the two heroines' consciousness then kicks the plot into gear, and along you go, no better able to escape the circumstances of the time and place than they. More.
July 8, 2017
Highly recommend for both historical buffs and romantics. I was hooked immediately on the people and activities of early Butte. She has a gift for descriptions that are vivid and imaginative!
March 25, 2023
A tale of the raw, lung scorching, back breaking world of hardship lifestyles; thoroughly familiar to the mining population of Butte Montana in the 1920s is told exposing the bitterness and endless difficulties well woven within the characters lives. This made for an engaging read! Thanks, Whitney and Davey; and an autographed copy to boot!
October 13, 2017
I would like to thank the publishers of Copper Sky, Open Books, for allowing me to have a preview copy of this book.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, so, I'm not sure what initially drew me to request Copper Sky. The premise of two women trying to better themselves in the rowdy, pre-regulation mining town of Butte Montana sounded like someone's idea of a feminist western. However, after a few chapters I began to warm to the characters and couldn't put it down.
Kaly Shane, who was abandoned as an infant along with her twin sister Anne Marie, became a prostitute after Anne Marie's murder left her emotionally unstable. Now she is pregnant and she is wondering if she could somehow keep the child in spite of her current status. Slavic immigrant Marika knows her family feels that an arranged marriage is the safest course for her life, but, she wants to be a doctor and choose her own husband.
Butte Montana, too, seems to be ripe for change with its ghosts, blood-soaked history, and gloomy, polluted air.
Secrets are gradually revealed that may bring closure to Kaly and Marika, if looming disaster doesn't take away all they know and love.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, so, I'm not sure what initially drew me to request Copper Sky. The premise of two women trying to better themselves in the rowdy, pre-regulation mining town of Butte Montana sounded like someone's idea of a feminist western. However, after a few chapters I began to warm to the characters and couldn't put it down.
Kaly Shane, who was abandoned as an infant along with her twin sister Anne Marie, became a prostitute after Anne Marie's murder left her emotionally unstable. Now she is pregnant and she is wondering if she could somehow keep the child in spite of her current status. Slavic immigrant Marika knows her family feels that an arranged marriage is the safest course for her life, but, she wants to be a doctor and choose her own husband.
Butte Montana, too, seems to be ripe for change with its ghosts, blood-soaked history, and gloomy, polluted air.
Secrets are gradually revealed that may bring closure to Kaly and Marika, if looming disaster doesn't take away all they know and love.
August 6, 2017
Copper Sky transports the reader to a copper town in the American West. However, this work of fiction by Milana Marsenich is a completely different sort of Western. While it’s full of plenty of action, it’s better classified as psychological fiction with a feminist slant. Kaly and Marika, both strong yet credible young women, experience a mysterious connection made clear by the end of the book. Both strive for better lives, though clearly Marika’s world is more habitable than Kaly’s. No one had it easy in the copper towns during the early years of the twentieth century. Mining accidents had become the norm, and many lives were tragically lost. This compelling narrative is so vividly described that it can easily be imagined as a movie. Brilliant characterizations and a deeply moving storyline result in Copper Sky being a total page-turner!
October 14, 2017
Copper Sky by Milana Marsenich
I received a free copy of this ebook through The Library Thing. I am sorry that I cannot agree with other reviewers who have given the book positive reviews. The time period in which it was written sounded interesting to me and that's why I requested a reviewer's copy. However I never got a true feel for the time period in which the events happened. I did not find many of the characters likable with the exception of Marika and Dan and finally Michael toward the end of the book. There seemed to be a lack of character development, and the dialog and interactions between characters seemed unrealistic.
I received a free copy of this ebook through The Library Thing. I am sorry that I cannot agree with other reviewers who have given the book positive reviews. The time period in which it was written sounded interesting to me and that's why I requested a reviewer's copy. However I never got a true feel for the time period in which the events happened. I did not find many of the characters likable with the exception of Marika and Dan and finally Michael toward the end of the book. There seemed to be a lack of character development, and the dialog and interactions between characters seemed unrealistic.
August 23, 2019
Copper Sky takes place in the copper mining town of Butte, Montana
During the early 20th century.
Kaley, the protagonist, grew up in a home for orphans. Now in her twenties,
She is a prostitute and pregnant.
Kaley’s life is intertwined with a cast of richly drawn characters most of whom she has know all her life.
This story is both heartwarming and tragic. I found it to be a page turner and I loved it.
During the early 20th century.
Kaley, the protagonist, grew up in a home for orphans. Now in her twenties,
She is a prostitute and pregnant.
Kaley’s life is intertwined with a cast of richly drawn characters most of whom she has know all her life.
This story is both heartwarming and tragic. I found it to be a page turner and I loved it.
April 12, 2019
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"I rarely read a book which so completely captivates me as this one did. I felt immersed as if I inhabited the world I was reading about."
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"I rarely read a book which so completely captivates me as this one did. I felt immersed as if I inhabited the world I was reading about."
October 19, 2019
Marsenich's gift for language again paints a beautiful setting against the hard life lived there. She weaves characters through complicated relationships and dreams, delivering a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended.
August 3, 2018
Set in Butte, Montana in 1917, Copper Sky is the debut novel of Milana Marsenich, which tells the story of two very different young women whose lives are forever intertwined.
Kaly Shane, a prostitute who has found herself pregnant, is forever scarred by the mysterious events of her childhood which impact heavily on her ability to trust. Meanwhile, Marika Lailich, fiercely determined to become a doctor, tries to avoid a pre arranged marriage she fears will end her dreams. The deep secrets unearthed throughout serve to tie them together for all time.
This novel was a bit of a slow burn for me. It was very readable, but I struggled a little with the setting, which prevented me from connecting with it immediately. I felt that the descriptions of the town and the era could have been stronger early on. Part of the issue could have been because I’m from the UK with no previous knowledge of the history of Montana and its copper mining history; but I felt a little as if I was playing catch up in the early stages. I felt however that the author became increasingly confident in her descriptions as the novel progressed, so that by the final scenes I was completely invested. The latter half of the novel by contrast contained some stunning use of language, on several occasions I had to re-read sentences on more than one occasion because the language was so beautiful and evocative. The final scenes are dealt with beautifully, describing some very difficult and emotional scenes with extreme sensitivity all without losing impact.
I felt empathy for both female protagonists; Kaly and Marika. The situations they are dealing with are completely life altering and both have very difficult choices to make. At times they frustrated me with their indecision and to-ing and fro-ing, but also in hindsight, this actually adds to the reality of the characterisation. Facing what they are facing, there are very few women, especially in that time period when women are required to be a certain way; who would feel able to make decisions for themselves. In some respects, although the characters are slightly older, this almost reads as if it were a coming of age novel. Throughout both women need to look within themselves, accept their reality and sever ties with their childhood, whether it be the demons it produced or the expectations and dreams they’ve maintained. In both cases throughout the course of the novel both women are naturally shifted to full blown womanhood.
The female perspective is very important within this novel and it is the female characters who lead the narrative. Classed as a Western, it turns the classic masculine genre on its head and gives it a fresh new feel. It is not a genre I’m particularly experienced with in any medium (most likely because it is usually testosterone heavy and filled with patriarchal overtones) but this novel I enjoyed.
After reading Copper Sky, I strongly feel that Milana Marsenich is an author to keep an eye on. Her style and use of language by the end of the novel completely sold me. I will definitely be reading her latest novel, The Swan Keeper.
Kaly Shane, a prostitute who has found herself pregnant, is forever scarred by the mysterious events of her childhood which impact heavily on her ability to trust. Meanwhile, Marika Lailich, fiercely determined to become a doctor, tries to avoid a pre arranged marriage she fears will end her dreams. The deep secrets unearthed throughout serve to tie them together for all time.
This novel was a bit of a slow burn for me. It was very readable, but I struggled a little with the setting, which prevented me from connecting with it immediately. I felt that the descriptions of the town and the era could have been stronger early on. Part of the issue could have been because I’m from the UK with no previous knowledge of the history of Montana and its copper mining history; but I felt a little as if I was playing catch up in the early stages. I felt however that the author became increasingly confident in her descriptions as the novel progressed, so that by the final scenes I was completely invested. The latter half of the novel by contrast contained some stunning use of language, on several occasions I had to re-read sentences on more than one occasion because the language was so beautiful and evocative. The final scenes are dealt with beautifully, describing some very difficult and emotional scenes with extreme sensitivity all without losing impact.
I felt empathy for both female protagonists; Kaly and Marika. The situations they are dealing with are completely life altering and both have very difficult choices to make. At times they frustrated me with their indecision and to-ing and fro-ing, but also in hindsight, this actually adds to the reality of the characterisation. Facing what they are facing, there are very few women, especially in that time period when women are required to be a certain way; who would feel able to make decisions for themselves. In some respects, although the characters are slightly older, this almost reads as if it were a coming of age novel. Throughout both women need to look within themselves, accept their reality and sever ties with their childhood, whether it be the demons it produced or the expectations and dreams they’ve maintained. In both cases throughout the course of the novel both women are naturally shifted to full blown womanhood.
The female perspective is very important within this novel and it is the female characters who lead the narrative. Classed as a Western, it turns the classic masculine genre on its head and gives it a fresh new feel. It is not a genre I’m particularly experienced with in any medium (most likely because it is usually testosterone heavy and filled with patriarchal overtones) but this novel I enjoyed.
After reading Copper Sky, I strongly feel that Milana Marsenich is an author to keep an eye on. Her style and use of language by the end of the novel completely sold me. I will definitely be reading her latest novel, The Swan Keeper.
June 23, 2019
Most of our stories and images of mining towns are about men, so I was intrigued by this novel about women in Butte, Montana. Copper Sky, by Milana Marsenich, tells the connected stories of two very different women in this town.
The novel starts off slowly, with a lot of repetition of the key facts. We also see our main characters considering their lives… Their choices are hard, but someone walking around town dithering isn’t a page-turner. Stay with the slow scenes and lack of character agency, though, for a worthwhile payoff in the compelling second half of the novel. Those slow-moving scenes helped develop these two women into vivid characters. Readers will care for these two so much by the time their secrets are revealed, and this mining town holds loads of secrets.
After growing up in town’s orphan home and tragically losing her sister, Kaly Shane is a sex worker. There are a lot of working girls in town, serving the miners who don’t have wives or who haven’t brought their families out west. Kaly’s newly pregnant, and basically everyone in town knows, except the baby’s father. I was intrigued by the drama, but also wanted to see where this was going.
At the same time, Marika is dealing with an arranged marriage by not dealing with it. She doesn’t refuse and she doesn’t accept and try to make the best of it, she just kind of drags her feet. Again, I was intrigued, but wanted some action. Marika wants to be a doctor, blending the herbal concoctions and folk remedies from her grandmother with modern medicine, but of course this isn’t an easy option for a young woman.
What seemed like a slow beginning and lack of character agency actually highlights the powerlessness of women in this city. The men are engaged in dangerous, grueling, and occasionally very profitable work, while the women try to cope as their husbands, fathers, fiances and friends risk going to work one day and never coming back. Every woman’s life has been touched by tragedy in the mines. They’re only reacting, not controlling these events.
In addition to Kaly and Marika, we also meet Bethie, another prostitute with an opium habit. Like Kaly, she turned to sex work as the only way to support herself, and she relies on her friendship with Kaly, opium, and an unsuitable “romance” to keep herself happy. Her madam is blunt about hiring only the youngest, prettiest girls,and blunt about the work they do. While she’s meant to be unsympathetic, I couldn’t help seeing the hard realities of mining town life in her practical money-making. Even the harsh orphanage matron reveals her reasons for what she’s done, and they’re a result of her own tragedies in life.
I enjoyed the scenes of daily life in Butte so much. This novel showed so many new aspects of life in a mining town. I also found the novel’s ending satisfying and believable, without being overwhelmingly positive, since that wouldn’t have been sense for this setting. At the end of the book, our heroines are on realistic but uplifting paths.
The novel starts off slowly, with a lot of repetition of the key facts. We also see our main characters considering their lives… Their choices are hard, but someone walking around town dithering isn’t a page-turner. Stay with the slow scenes and lack of character agency, though, for a worthwhile payoff in the compelling second half of the novel. Those slow-moving scenes helped develop these two women into vivid characters. Readers will care for these two so much by the time their secrets are revealed, and this mining town holds loads of secrets.
After growing up in town’s orphan home and tragically losing her sister, Kaly Shane is a sex worker. There are a lot of working girls in town, serving the miners who don’t have wives or who haven’t brought their families out west. Kaly’s newly pregnant, and basically everyone in town knows, except the baby’s father. I was intrigued by the drama, but also wanted to see where this was going.
At the same time, Marika is dealing with an arranged marriage by not dealing with it. She doesn’t refuse and she doesn’t accept and try to make the best of it, she just kind of drags her feet. Again, I was intrigued, but wanted some action. Marika wants to be a doctor, blending the herbal concoctions and folk remedies from her grandmother with modern medicine, but of course this isn’t an easy option for a young woman.
What seemed like a slow beginning and lack of character agency actually highlights the powerlessness of women in this city. The men are engaged in dangerous, grueling, and occasionally very profitable work, while the women try to cope as their husbands, fathers, fiances and friends risk going to work one day and never coming back. Every woman’s life has been touched by tragedy in the mines. They’re only reacting, not controlling these events.
In addition to Kaly and Marika, we also meet Bethie, another prostitute with an opium habit. Like Kaly, she turned to sex work as the only way to support herself, and she relies on her friendship with Kaly, opium, and an unsuitable “romance” to keep herself happy. Her madam is blunt about hiring only the youngest, prettiest girls,and blunt about the work they do. While she’s meant to be unsympathetic, I couldn’t help seeing the hard realities of mining town life in her practical money-making. Even the harsh orphanage matron reveals her reasons for what she’s done, and they’re a result of her own tragedies in life.
I enjoyed the scenes of daily life in Butte so much. This novel showed so many new aspects of life in a mining town. I also found the novel’s ending satisfying and believable, without being overwhelmingly positive, since that wouldn’t have been sense for this setting. At the end of the book, our heroines are on realistic but uplifting paths.
May 23, 2019
1917 Butte, Montana. A harsh, crude, lawless historical mining town and the setting for Milana Marsenich’s debut novel, Copper Sky.
Kaly Shane and her twin sister Anne Marie, were orphaned at a very young age after the Warehouse Fire of 1895 claimed the lives of their family and are sent to the Polly May – a foster home for deserted and forsaken children. As impoverished as it was, life was almost bearable for Kaly, until her tiny glimmer of light was put out on the day she was raped, and her twin was murdered.
We meet adult Kaly forced into prostitution to survive, pregnant, and tormented by a past she can neither forget, nor fully recall. Kaly makes her way around life in the small mining town, much like a lost soul would. A wanderer with no place to call home, fending for herself, and never allowing herself to invest in feeling, except for the constant burn of anger. Kaly sees no hope for a decent future and struggles between a desperate desire for the tiny new life growing inside her and giving it up in the hope that the child would have a chance at a better life.
Marika Lailich and her family have niched out a respectful life, having immigrated to Butte from Montenegro. Marika is young and wilful, and just beginning to experience life. She is fiercely passionate about becoming a doctor which causes frequent fall-outs with her formidable father, who has determined that she must be married as soon as possible. Marika has no interest in marriage and continues to hold on to her independence and chase her dream.
Providence always has its way and it is no different in this copper town. Weaving its way through place and setting, fate brings Kaly and Marika together bonding the two women in friendship. Neither of them is aware of the secrets the gritty town holds for them, but as their lives become more entwined, the roots of their connection are at long last, revealed.
I was impressed by author Milana Marsenich’s vividly descriptive writing and her rich, well-depicted history of life in this bleak mining town and the dangers that not only the miners faced, but the risk to the townspeople as well. Both Kaly and Marika are complex characters, suppressing a frail innocence beneath their intense emotions and actions. The diverse personalities of all the characters in Copper Sky are noteworthy, and Milana tells each of their stories with a respectful realism.
The more you read, the further you are drawn into this gripping novel. In a typically male dominated genre, the influence of its strong, female perspective has stayed with me long after I finished it.
Copper Sky is beautifully written with a unique, expressive style, and I highly recommend it.
I look forward to reading more from Milana Marsenich.
Thank you to Open Books and Kelly Huddleston for the read of Copper Sky.
Kaly Shane and her twin sister Anne Marie, were orphaned at a very young age after the Warehouse Fire of 1895 claimed the lives of their family and are sent to the Polly May – a foster home for deserted and forsaken children. As impoverished as it was, life was almost bearable for Kaly, until her tiny glimmer of light was put out on the day she was raped, and her twin was murdered.
We meet adult Kaly forced into prostitution to survive, pregnant, and tormented by a past she can neither forget, nor fully recall. Kaly makes her way around life in the small mining town, much like a lost soul would. A wanderer with no place to call home, fending for herself, and never allowing herself to invest in feeling, except for the constant burn of anger. Kaly sees no hope for a decent future and struggles between a desperate desire for the tiny new life growing inside her and giving it up in the hope that the child would have a chance at a better life.
Marika Lailich and her family have niched out a respectful life, having immigrated to Butte from Montenegro. Marika is young and wilful, and just beginning to experience life. She is fiercely passionate about becoming a doctor which causes frequent fall-outs with her formidable father, who has determined that she must be married as soon as possible. Marika has no interest in marriage and continues to hold on to her independence and chase her dream.
Providence always has its way and it is no different in this copper town. Weaving its way through place and setting, fate brings Kaly and Marika together bonding the two women in friendship. Neither of them is aware of the secrets the gritty town holds for them, but as their lives become more entwined, the roots of their connection are at long last, revealed.
I was impressed by author Milana Marsenich’s vividly descriptive writing and her rich, well-depicted history of life in this bleak mining town and the dangers that not only the miners faced, but the risk to the townspeople as well. Both Kaly and Marika are complex characters, suppressing a frail innocence beneath their intense emotions and actions. The diverse personalities of all the characters in Copper Sky are noteworthy, and Milana tells each of their stories with a respectful realism.
The more you read, the further you are drawn into this gripping novel. In a typically male dominated genre, the influence of its strong, female perspective has stayed with me long after I finished it.
Copper Sky is beautifully written with a unique, expressive style, and I highly recommend it.
I look forward to reading more from Milana Marsenich.
Thank you to Open Books and Kelly Huddleston for the read of Copper Sky.
December 27, 2019
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review originally published on Stacked.
Welcome to early 20th-century Butte, Montana: a small and depressing mining town. Men work themselves to death in the mines or die from consumption if they’re lucky enough to live that long. Married women slave away in their homes, bereft of any rights. Working girls are outcasts and eventually end up in the streets. Life is miserable, and the always present smog makes the atmosphere even gloomier.
The thing I like about this novel is how character-centric it is. There are plenty of things going on to keep the plot moving, but the core of the story are Marika’s and Kaly’s characters. They are both well-developed and compelling.
Kaly is a bit cynical, untrusting, and street-smart. Her traumatic experiences have left her emotionally messed up and she finds it difficult to have faith in anyone, including herself. Opposed to her, we have Marika’s youthful naivete. A newcomer in Butte, she arrived there believing in all those wonderful possibilities that the “new world” can provide only to find out that there is as much poverty, suffering and death in America as anywhere else.
I loved that the author included Montenegrin families into the story. Reading about people from my region is pretty rare. I spent a lot of my childhood in Montenegro (as it was a part of my country back then) and I was glad to find out that Milana has done her research well. Although Marika isn’t really a common Montenegrin name, all other names, places, traditions, and food mentioned are typical for that period of Montenegrin history.
Milana’s style is wonderful as always. There are very few unnecessary dialogues and her descriptions truly add to the somber Butte atmosphere.
However, there is one thing that I didn’t like at all and that is the antagonist. I found it very unlikely that literally everyone in Butte is nice and friendly except for this one person who happens to be behind every single bad thing that happens. This obviousness also makes it horribly easy to figure out what happened to Kaly when she was a child. After only about 50 pages, the “mystery” of her trauma is no longer mysterious.
Although I didn’t like this novel as much as Milana’s next novel, The Swan Keeper, I still found it quite enjoyable. After all, Copper Sky is her debut novel, so it’s natural that it’s not perfect. I’d recommend the novel to those who like historical fiction focused on women’s rights and fight against gender roles.
Review originally published on Stacked.
Welcome to early 20th-century Butte, Montana: a small and depressing mining town. Men work themselves to death in the mines or die from consumption if they’re lucky enough to live that long. Married women slave away in their homes, bereft of any rights. Working girls are outcasts and eventually end up in the streets. Life is miserable, and the always present smog makes the atmosphere even gloomier.
The thing I like about this novel is how character-centric it is. There are plenty of things going on to keep the plot moving, but the core of the story are Marika’s and Kaly’s characters. They are both well-developed and compelling.
Kaly is a bit cynical, untrusting, and street-smart. Her traumatic experiences have left her emotionally messed up and she finds it difficult to have faith in anyone, including herself. Opposed to her, we have Marika’s youthful naivete. A newcomer in Butte, she arrived there believing in all those wonderful possibilities that the “new world” can provide only to find out that there is as much poverty, suffering and death in America as anywhere else.
I loved that the author included Montenegrin families into the story. Reading about people from my region is pretty rare. I spent a lot of my childhood in Montenegro (as it was a part of my country back then) and I was glad to find out that Milana has done her research well. Although Marika isn’t really a common Montenegrin name, all other names, places, traditions, and food mentioned are typical for that period of Montenegrin history.
Milana’s style is wonderful as always. There are very few unnecessary dialogues and her descriptions truly add to the somber Butte atmosphere.
However, there is one thing that I didn’t like at all and that is the antagonist. I found it very unlikely that literally everyone in Butte is nice and friendly except for this one person who happens to be behind every single bad thing that happens. This obviousness also makes it horribly easy to figure out what happened to Kaly when she was a child. After only about 50 pages, the “mystery” of her trauma is no longer mysterious.
Although I didn’t like this novel as much as Milana’s next novel, The Swan Keeper, I still found it quite enjoyable. After all, Copper Sky is her debut novel, so it’s natural that it’s not perfect. I’d recommend the novel to those who like historical fiction focused on women’s rights and fight against gender roles.
August 4, 2018
Summary: Butte, Montana, 1895-1917. An explosion following a warehouse fire killed dozens of men and women, orphaning their children. With nowhere else to go, the children crowd into the already full Polly May Home for Kids. Miss Anderson did her best to feed and clothe the children but love and affection were in short supply. The boys were destined to get into trouble and work in the mines at an early age; the girls frequently fell into prostitution. Even those children who were lucky enough to keep one or both of their parents were affected for the rest of their lives by the tragedy.
The novel follows several people but focuses primarily on two young women, Kaly and Marika. Kaly, penniless and poorly educated, struggles to regain lost memories of the day her twin sister was murdered. She ekes out a living in one of a string of shacks for prostitutes, living in world of disease and drugs. Kaly never knew her parents and longs for the security of family. Marika lives in better circumstances with her parents and brother, but her father, Stojan, is dying from lung disease, a common by-product of a miner’s life. Stojan is a man of tradition who wants to see his daughter married before he dies. But Marika’s grandmother taught her traditional healing arts when she was a girl. Marika desperately wants to follow a career in medicine rather than marry a man she doesn’t even know.
After Marika gets the town doctor to take her on as an assistant, she is asked to help nurse Kaly back to health. The two women eventually realize their lives are intertwined in ways neither of them ever expected.
Comments: In its construction, Copper Sky made me think of symphonic music. Disparate parts each play their tunes yet slowly weave together until the crescendo when all is revealed to have been carefully orchestrated parts of a whole. While I guessed most of the outcome early on, I just had to see how the characters would learn how their lives intertwined.
The novel does a credible job of describing life in an early 20th century western mining town. The warehouse fire and another disaster (I won’t give that one away) were historical events. The author breathes life into the past and shines a spotlight on how real people would have coped with change and loss, maintaining fortitude and hope despite the odds against them.
The novel follows several people but focuses primarily on two young women, Kaly and Marika. Kaly, penniless and poorly educated, struggles to regain lost memories of the day her twin sister was murdered. She ekes out a living in one of a string of shacks for prostitutes, living in world of disease and drugs. Kaly never knew her parents and longs for the security of family. Marika lives in better circumstances with her parents and brother, but her father, Stojan, is dying from lung disease, a common by-product of a miner’s life. Stojan is a man of tradition who wants to see his daughter married before he dies. But Marika’s grandmother taught her traditional healing arts when she was a girl. Marika desperately wants to follow a career in medicine rather than marry a man she doesn’t even know.
After Marika gets the town doctor to take her on as an assistant, she is asked to help nurse Kaly back to health. The two women eventually realize their lives are intertwined in ways neither of them ever expected.
Comments: In its construction, Copper Sky made me think of symphonic music. Disparate parts each play their tunes yet slowly weave together until the crescendo when all is revealed to have been carefully orchestrated parts of a whole. While I guessed most of the outcome early on, I just had to see how the characters would learn how their lives intertwined.
The novel does a credible job of describing life in an early 20th century western mining town. The warehouse fire and another disaster (I won’t give that one away) were historical events. The author breathes life into the past and shines a spotlight on how real people would have coped with change and loss, maintaining fortitude and hope despite the odds against them.
January 13, 2018
"No one had ever been there when she needed them."
1917. Copper Camp of Butte, Montana. Growing up as an orphan and losing her twin sister to a murder at the age of 10, Kaly Shane had a lot of ghosts and a lot of secrets. Over the years she tried to live a decent life, but now as a prostitute living on her own in a destitute area of town, she finds herself pregnant by the man who murdered her sister. But did he? What really happened that night and what secrets will she find out about her family?
"They wanted her to marry a man she had never met."
Back in the Balkans Marika Lailich's grandmother, Baba, taught her how to heal and Marika's only wish was to become a doctor, but her father has other plans for her life. At seventeen, Marika does not want to marry a union man for the mines. She "has no intention of giving up her dreams, not to feed the Company fodder, which oppressed the men and fueled the mines." How can she convince the town and her papa that she is serious about healing? What does Marika's future hold?
See my complete review at The Eclectic Review
April 13, 2024
Milana Marsenich’s book taught me a lot about the history of my hometown that I didn’t know. Copper Sky immersed me in Butte, Montana, in 1917. It’s the story of two women with different lives, who become friends despite not knowing the family secret that connects them. Kaly is involved in prostitution and struggles to find a safe home for her unborn child. Marika is a Slavic immigrant who tries to avoid an arranged marriage to become a doctor. I love how the author leads us to where their lives intersect, becoming unlikely friends. The author’s prose and description of Butte, the surrounding landscape, and the tenuous social structures had me re-reading paragraphs because they’re so beautifully written. I also learned about the danger of the miners who worked underground back in 1917, with sometimes disastrous outcomes. I love it when a storyteller whisks me off my feet and I can’t stop turning the pages. Treat yourself to a wonderful read with the brilliance of Copper Sky. It’s an engaging story.
November 18, 2018
This book was submitted for consideration in the High Plains Book Awards. While it did not become a finalist it was an interesting look at Butte, MT in the early 20th century. It was a little too much of a romantic novel for me.
The feminine spirit of the West comes alive in early twentieth century Montana.
Set in the Copper Camp of Butte, Montana in 1917, Copper Sky tells the story of two women with opposite lives. Kaly Shane, mired in prostitution, struggles to find a safe home for her unborn child, while Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant, dodges a pre-arranged marriage to become a doctor. As their paths cross, and they become unlikely friends, neither knows the family secret that ties them together.
The feminine spirit of the West comes alive in early twentieth century Montana.
Set in the Copper Camp of Butte, Montana in 1917, Copper Sky tells the story of two women with opposite lives. Kaly Shane, mired in prostitution, struggles to find a safe home for her unborn child, while Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant, dodges a pre-arranged marriage to become a doctor. As their paths cross, and they become unlikely friends, neither knows the family secret that ties them together.
April 29, 2019
I like historical fiction and the author captured the stories of various women at the turn of the last century making their way through the difficulties presented in a mining town in Montana. The story is both heart wrenching and redemptive. Ms. Marsenich captures vividly the environment that people faced and the hardships endured and artfully brought the characters, especially the women, to life. This is a great read and illuminated what it was like for women not so long ago. I highly recommend it even if you are not a fan of historical fiction.
July 2, 2019
An extraordinary book! The story simply grabbed hold of me on the first page and led me into the arsenic & sulfur-laden air of Butte MT in the early 1900s. A time when women without the support of a man were often forced to become prostitutes to survive, and men labored in unsafe conditions in the mines, dying in explosions, collapses or of lung "consumption." The characters were so well-crafted, they came alive for me, and showed the strength, determination, and courage it took to overcome hardship. I didn't want the book to end!
September 24, 2021
Perhaps it's unfair, but I wanted something more from this book. I wanted to place myself in it, but instead I was only a spectator, watching from the third row aisle seat. When I reached 1895 Wakes and Funerals, I suddenly had the feeling I was watching a theater production and that's when I began to wonder if anyone has considered turning this into a play. In the right hands, I believe the story, the setting and the character development would provide a remarkable theatrical opportunity, not unlike "Come From Away."
February 15, 2021
Amazing, moving, and evocative, Copper Sky is a novel that takes your breath away on a sentence level and makes you feel deeply on a plot level -- my favorite kind of novel.
July 16, 2023
Unexpectedly worth reading.
I will try another of her books.
I will try another of her books.
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