fter the runaway success of her first novel, 1

Heard the Owl Call My Name, now a modern

classic, Margaret Craven returns with Walk

Gently This Good Earth, a heart-warming story--

a glowing affirmation of faith in a close-knit

American fainily whose spirit and rugged inde-

pendence echo the ways of their pioneering

ancestors.

From the Deprcssion to the present, from their

idyllic childhood in the wilds of the Pacific North-

west to their ranching days in the wide-open

spaces of Montana, the Westcutts stick together in

a world where old-fashioned values are rapidly

changing. Raised by Judge Westcott, a brilliant

lawyer and wise father, and Maria, their loving,

indispensable housekeeper, the four Westeott

children and their adopted brother embrace a

lasting tradition of good sense, wit, and hard

work.

With stunning simplicity, Margaret Craven

captures the awesome thrill of climbing in the

Cascades, standing on a virgin mountain peak, or

discovering a glacier, as she traces the children s

coming-of-age with grace and humor. The West-

cotts face turbulent years after Judge Westcott

dies and World War II begins, yet their survivalis

cemented by the ripening love between Cathy,

the outspoken tomboy of the family, and Neal,

her adopted brother. On their vast Montana

ranch, the family continues to maintain their

wholesome ways in the face of changing times.