My Review
Based on a truth, this wagon train crossing happened two years before the Donner party crossed the Sierra Nevada's. All was fine til October when the harsh snows hit the mountains.
The struggle was real and I am once again impressed with the strength
of this author's research. The vast wilderness,going without food for days on end including children,bone chilling cold,crossing rivers. Just amazing!
All had to work together to survive. All the women had different strengths and weaknesses. The author showed a venerability to them. Do I think this made them weak, no! I do believe this brought out their character. No one had time to be selfish and think about themselves, everything was a group effort.
I think many of us have romanticized the wagon train crossings, including myself thinking how nice it would have been to ride in one in perfect weather enjoying the slow ride.
This book is really about strength,trust and faith in the Lord
that he will get you through. Excellent book with well developed characters set at a great pace!
Pub Date: 03 Sep 2019 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.
GoodReads Summary
In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mostly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated land and enjoyed a safe journey--until October, when a heavy snowstorm forced difficult decisions. The first of many for young Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa. When the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they loved and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can destroy or redefine. Two women and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three men stay to guard the heaviest wagons--and the rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River waiting for rescue . . . or their deaths. Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick plunges you deep into a landscape of challenge where fear and courage go hand in hand for a story of friendship, family, and hope that will remind you of what truly matters in times of trial.
About The Author
Website
http://www.jkbooks.com
Genre
Literature & Fiction
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/jkbooks
Kirkpatrick brings us a story of one woman's restoration from personal grief to the meaning of community."
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