A prophecy due to disobedience in her youth leads Mary to believe she’s cursed. She experiences loss after loss, but I slowly lost interest as she aimed to make that prophecy self-fulfilling with her reckless choices–usually involving men–in her search for spurts of happiness over a span of 30+ years. Religious devotion, poverty, and the hard choices made to survive were heavy focal points. This was a well-written but sad book that ended abruptly.