Once Below A Time, Section 2, pp.18-29 Summary and Analysis

When Frederick is a child, his family moves around constantly because of the high unemployment during the Great Depression. The only permanent place that he thinks of as home is his grandmother's house, where the family always ends up visiting. Grandma Buechner has inherited wealth from her family's breweries, but has lived long enough to have much of what she values taken from her. She is a woman of passion, who does not hold back her emotions for the sake of politeness or gentleness. The only time Freddy observes her holding back and being gentle to someone is right after his father dies. Although Freddy's mother has fought for years with her mother-in-law, competing for the same man's love, the two women are finally united in grieving for the...