Brimming "with humor and charm and youthful animal spirits…There is much true wisdom in Cress Delahanty." (The New York Times)

West writes "gracefully, occasionally poetically, in a voice both innocent and brave." (The Washington Post)

Set in rural California in the 1940s, this novel wittily portrays an adolescent girl navigating pivotal moments of growing up between 12 and 16. West is equally insightful about the eternal problems of parenthood and how raising children transforms a marriage.

Jessamyn West (1902-1984) was the author of forty books and often contributed to magazines like The New Yorker.