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One could say the beautiful cover is worth the price of the book, but there are rewards inside. This is a fictionalized memoir, published by two sisters in their 80’s. Lest that sound off-putting, their story has a rare freshness.

You’ll travel back to East Tennessee in 1949 (a time before air-conditioning, television, or seat-belts in cars) into a rural landscape full of spirited characters worth remembering.

This tale offers good page-turning fun, and it’s embellished with art throughout, including a map. There’s even a glossary providing help with Appalachian terms (do you know that haint and hain’t have different meanings?).

As the young sisters share new experiences with lively cousins, their world expands. Religion (an “old-time” variety) is a hot topic here — and it’s practiced quite differently, they discover, than the more buttoned-up versions back in the city.

There are adventures aplenty. They ford creeks in a pickup truck (legs dangling out over the tailgate) while delivering groceries from their uncle’s general store. They absorb mirth and music at a “dinner-on-the-grounds” as community drama unfolds around the local “bad boy,” moonshiner-bootlegger Arlo T. Faust and his beautiful wife Vangie.

This is a warm-hearted story “for all ages” (maybe 8 to 108!) and one likely to provide a certain sense of comfort even while confronting heavy topics — life, death, love. (Parents may want to read first to establish age appropriateness for their children.)

There are layers to appreciate. On one level this is a rollicking read. But deeper subtleties can be discovered by more sophisticated bibliophiles.

The sisters say they hope this memoir will be a pleasure for all its readers.