A Historical Novel by Wendi Lee
Written: Nov 24 '00 (Updated Mar 25 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A different perspective
Cons: None really
The Bottom Line: An entertaining read
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| Rocketgirl's Full Review: Archived Book Reviews |
The settling of the West is an interesting part of America's history. People emigrated in fits and starts until the gold rush, which sent them West in droves. This book is set in 1846, before people went West in large numbers. Unlike many historical novels I have read, this story is told completely from the viewpoint of a woman, America Hollis. Not that I disliked those other books, its just that you get a different perspective when the main character is a woman.
America Hollis leaves Philadelphia in humiliation. She makes the mistake of getting pregnant by her lover, who is subsequently killed. In order to save face, she is forced to marry Will Hollis, who has dreams of going West. This is just fine for the parents since she is a black eye on their respectability. Times are tough on the trail, but America enjoys the peacefulness and the companionship among the other members of the wagon train. She also learns to deeply respect and love her new husband.
The story has a cast of interesting characters that enter the story. There are the tough wagonmasters Bolen, Pike, and Terwilliger. There is a free black couple, on their way to tolerance in California. There are three "mail-order brides" on their way to meet their husbands in Oregon. There are the reverend and his wife, the Sanfords, whose brand of Christianity leads them to complete intolerance of anyone who isn't white and well-born. There is Dancing Feather, the Indian maiden that nurses America back to health.
As was true in real life, death of pioneers along the way was due more to sickness and starvation and weather, than it was ever due to Indians. That is the way this book has been written. Indians appear a couple of times in the book, but they are friendly and trade with the wagon train pioneers. The wagon train suffers through a bout of cholera, bad weather, broken wagon axles, and disputes among the members. They even have a thief who is breaking into the wagons and stealing trinkets.
Because the story was told from America's perspective there is much more emphasis on the characters and how they get along. For example, she relates how her attitudes that she had in the relatively high society position she held in Philadelphia make no difference whatsoever out in the wilderness. She also relates how people like the Sanfords will have to come to the same realization if they are to get along. She also talks about the difficulty of chores in such primitive circumstances and also what the people do to entertain themselves in times of boredom. There is very little in the book about being fearful of Indians or not making it.
About the only complaint I have about this book is that the cover blurb is very misleading. I am used to the blurb only telling what happens in the first quarter of the book. Well, this one gives practically the entire book away. Of course you don't know that until you read it--but you get some foreshadowing of future events in the first three pages. That event doesn't actually happen until the last quarter of the book. Because of the way the blurb is written you think those events will happen right away and that the rest of the book is going to be about her friendship with the Indians and how they help her solve her problems. In actuality that is a small part of the book and, in fact, the ending is rather abrupt.
Other than that, I think this is a very well written book. It is interesting and realistic. Some historical novels come off somewhat stilted--this one is not. The book reads quickly and there is some amount of suspense in it because you want to know what happens next. Lots of dialogue keep the pace of the book moving right along. There is a happy ending and America finds her happiness, though this book is definitely not a romantic story. I hope I can find other books by this author or others written in a similar manner.
Recommended:
Yes
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Rocketgirl
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Member: Beth
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
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So many books, so little time.
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