In this book, Erich Hackl lends his voice to a woman who grew up as a farmer's daughter in the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel: his mother. Written in artfully simple language, this is a story of hardship and humility in the countryside, but also of cunning, longing and exuberance. A cherry tree on a freezing cold night and a man who lights a fire beneath it. The first bicycle and the last Zeppelin. The joy of half a bread roll. Sins that accumulate and sins that are paid for. A farmer staring into paradise. Fanatic priests and wise teachers. Talking cows. Errors in judgement before, during and after the war. Unheroic heroes. Waiting for the right one. The number three and its significance for the village. »As far back as I can remember, my mother used to tell me stories about the world of her childhood and youth«, writes Erich Hackl in the afterword to this poetic, profoundly intimate biography. »Now, after her death, I have decided to capture this world for myself, to see it through her eyes and in her words, and that's why this book belongs to my mother.«