Omg. I read this book for the first time just a year or so ago. Overall I enjoyed it, but there was one thing that hit a jarring note for me. I know partly due to reading it through the lens of modern sensibilities. But perhaps the rest of you can give me your feedback: that boy she becomes friends with ( I think he’s a goat herd?) seemed verging on mean & I recall feeling disturbed by the way she tip toed around his moods and in her cheerful way did & said things to appease/placate him. Am I hypersensitive or was there an undercurrent of violence in his attitudes? It’s been a while, so I can’t bring up anything specific. But it did color my overall enjoyment of the story. I wrote it off as reflective of the mores of the times. Did anyone else pick this up?