I would not have read this book if my friend had not told me it was her favorite, and even went so far as to pick it out for me at a yard sale. Fortunately, she did, because this was one of the most heartwarming stories I have ever read. 
 In essence, this book is just a love story, but it is so much more. At times I had trouble reading through the awful descriptions of the brutality toward animals (and humans) during the Depression. At other times I realized I had read through 50 pages without even realizing it.