I found the first look of this book to be a little bit slow, but I found it to be chock-full of descriptions about the setting and its characters, which I think over the entirety of the book will add so much to the story. I really got a sense for August and the entire cast around him from the three young boys that are being fostered to Mr. Barclay and everyone in between. I found August to be genuine yet difficult to read due to the way he is being treated and the hardships he faces so far. I think this will ultimately be a difficult read that deals with an important aspect of our history. I got the feeling that this could easily be a true story. I don't particularly like the cover. It doesn't grab me, and I don't feel like it is very representative of the historical fiction story. If I were to see this in the store, I think (at first glance) I would assume that it is some sort of mystery/thriller.