Vanessa was born in the small Manitoba town of Manawaka - a world of proud personal struggles, bitter family conflicts, and unyielding prairie traditions.It was here, in the lean years of the Depression, that she came into her own, a courageous provincial girl determined to satisfy her thirst for freedom.A brilliant collection of short stories by Canada's most celebrated, most popular novelist and part of her acclaimed Manawaka series which also includes The Diviners, A Jest of God, The Stone Angel and The Fire-Dwellers.