The Floor of the Sky by Pamela Carter Joern

“Playwright Joern’s characters are as stern as the land, and the world of her debut novel is sturdy and
memorable.”—Publishers Weekly

“[An] emotionally rich first novel about an unwed pregnant teen spending the summer with her grandmother in the hardscrabble Nebraska Sandhills. . . . [H]er visit stirs up long-simmering tensions for Toby, Toby’s bitter sister Gertie and George, who has worked on the farm for more than 50 years. Seventy-two and long widowed, Toby is no fawning grandma. Tough but loving, she still rides her horse regularly and can work up a man’s passions. . . . [George’s] unspoken love makes for irresistible reading. . . . [T]hink Paul Newman with Joanne Woodward. . . . A resonant love story, whatever the age of the lovers.”—Kirkus Reviews

“First novelist Joern is particularly skilled at depicting contemporary small-town life and the issues rural communities face: the difficulty small farmers and ranchers have staying afloat financially and the decision of younger generations either to leave for urban areas or to endure directionless lives. She packs a lot of story into 250 pages. . . . Essential for rural and regional public libraries.”—Library Journal

“Joern intricately weaves together a compelling family saga and a beautifully rendered paean to the land her characters love and are struggling to preserve. . . . Joern’s lyrical and painterly descriptions of the vast Sandhills are the perfect backdrop for this subtle drama.”—Booklist

“The Floor of the Sky honors the pleasures and pitfalls of family without a shred of sentimentality. . . . Joern . . . is a fine writer incapable of excess or artifice. Written in present tense, the book has an unintentionally cinematic quality. Its dialogue is varied and authentic. . . . Ron Hansen [Flyover Fiction series editor] . . . uncover[s] a quiet little gem in Joern’s debut.”—Pamela Miller, Minneapolis Star-Tribune