I did root for Sadie from the very start - but I also was fearful - from the very start - that Sadie's story might end just as we have been programmed to believe all mountain people's stories end. That it didn't is a most redeeming quality of the novel and what makes this a good read. Sadie was not a quitter - she knew she was in a bad space after a few days of marriage and decided immediately to make a change. She took her time figuring out what to do rather than simply bolt, and while that make for more difficult times in the interim, she also learned enough in that time to ensure her freedom and happiness in the end. Marris, Birdie, and Kate were her most obvious mentors, but Gladys, in exhibiting such negative and unkind behavior taught her what not to do. Some key moments of growth, I believe, occurr when she stayed with Marris and saw Marris help others in need. In addition, she took an immense step when she admitted to Kate that she could not read and asks Kate for lessons. Birdie's help comes primarily when Roy beats her. After Birdie nurses her through a difficult time, Sadie realizes what Birdie has done for her and admits she does not need "two babies." She is done with Roy.