Shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize, Roberts's 1930 novel follows newlyweds Diony Hall and Berk Jarvis, who leave behind family and community in Revolutionary War-era Virginia to cross the Appalachian Mountains and carve out a new life on the unforgiving Kentucky frontier. Told from Diony's perspective, this is a woman's coming-of-age tale, an understated love story, and a historical saga, as the settlers face shortages, harsh winters, and the perpetual danger of Indian attack.