Stories of a Canadian childhood many decades ago have an intrinsic appeal, especially when they are based on personal memories. This slight but rather engaging novel about life on a small farm in the Canadian bush during the “dry years” reads almost like a children’s story from the 1930s, and its charm lies in its evocation of the little events that make up the beauty of a country summer – riding a horse bareback, sleeping in a tent, picking berries, and sitting around a campfire. In retrospect, even the less pleasant events like having to use tomato juice to wash the smell of skunk off the dog, or breaking a leg and learning to get around on homemade crutches, can seem part of the fun.

The story of young Corinne’s summer at home on the farm with her new baby brother, her friend April, and the three boys who come to stay or visit with them is told in the first person in a quaint narrative voice whose droll perspective and use of expressions like “such a much” give the book its flavour. The rather odd title, Boys in the Well, refers to Corinne’s habit of conversing with her reflection in the well, as described in an earlier novel; the boys, however, don’t really have anything much to do with the well, except insofar as the reflection of their points of view gives the formerly solitary Corinne more to think about and judge by. Introspection does play a large role in the novel – perhaps too large, and Corinne’s musings about boys becomes rather tiresome. While its old-fashioned attitudes about gender relationships, expressed in phrases like “girl talk,” may have nostalgic appeal to some readers, they will probably irritate others. It would be nice to know whether Corinne and her friends are adolescents or younger children, and, given that the book is very much a period piece, to know more specifically when and where it is all taking place.