The Icecutter's Daughter

Peterson's "Land of Shining Water" series opener is set in 1898 Minnesota and imagines the quandary of likable, über-capable Merrill Krause. Dazzling her German Lutheran community with her resourcefulness and industry, Merrill nevertheless frets that a pack of overprotective brothers and her diminished femininity (she sturdily assists in the family's ice business) deflect potential suitors. Besides, marriage would impede fulfillment of Merrill's pledge to her dying mother to care for the Krause men as long as they require. Enter intriguing Swede Rurik Jorgenson, who brings unfinished business from back home in Kansas—shocking issues provoking moral dilemmas that challenge loyalties heretofore unquestioned. Narrator Stina Nielsen enhances the townsfolk's charm with accented dialog, avoiding caricature and lending warmth to the presentation.