Ann Baer has produced a sensitive, knowledgeable month-by-month account of the hardships suffered by Marion and Peter Carpenter, set from March through the following February of one year of their struggle for existence in Medieval England. . . . Ann Baer has given the world an immeasurable gift with the writing of Down the Common. Her attention to detail paints a crystal clear picture of the pain, the beauty of nature, and the steadfastness of people to whom each day was unceasing toil.-The Midwest Book Review.