Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

I haven't read finished anything new lately, so I thought I would revisit an old favorite. Shadows on the Rock is not one of Cather's better-known novels, but it is still good. Set in Quebec in the late 1600s, it captures the unique flavor of the young, isolated French colony. Catholiscm plays a large role, as you might expect. Characters include a young girl, Cecile, her apothecary father, a little boy Jacques, trapper Pierre, and an arrogant Bishop. The story line is meandering and slow; in fact much of the "action" is quickly covered in the epilogue. But the charm of this book is in its descriptions of Quebec, and for such alone is worth reading. Nonetheless, the growth (or lack thereof) that many of the characters undergo is well-portrayed.