The title of Conrad Richter's 1950 novel, "The Town," refers to an Ohio village and follows its growth into a metropolitan center during the first half of the nineteenth century. Moonshine Church changed its name to Americus, hoping to be named the county seat. The strategy worked, people moved in, and the village grew into a thriving city.

This story focuses on Sayward Wheeler and her family, whose lives are affected by the rapid growth of Americus. Sayward's husband, Portius, embraces the city's changing face and becomes an important citizen there. The family rises in stature and wealth, eventually moving from their humble home to a large house in town. Their son, Chancey, rejects the mores of modern society and edits a radical newspaper.

Along the way, we see family members reunited and lost, extramarital affairs, and a doomed relationship between a young couple.

The characters are born, evolve, fall in love, grow old, and die. The town evolves as they do. It is an interesting story about the ways individuals can influence their environment and how a town's environment can affect the people living within it. The author questions whether progress always leads to improvement and whether growing up in a privileged environment can lead one to take things for granted.

Although "The Town" stands well on its own, it is the third and final book in Richter's "Awakening Land" trilogy, which follows the history of the region's settlement and of Sayward's family. I have not yet read the first two books - "The Trees" and "The Fields" - but I am inspired to do so after enjoying "The Town".