Fall means shorter days and wetter, colder weather. The workload slows down and I have more time for my favorite, cozy hobbies-like curling up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee and an engaging novel. My very favorite historical fiction author is Jane Kirkpatrick. I have been reading her books since I was a teenager. I so enjoy the way that she takes real women's stories from history and brings them to life, in a very real way. Plus, it's a huge draw for me, that as a fellow Oregonian, Jane's books are usually always set in Oregon. She weaves together the time and setting of the heroine's life with her inner life-her thoughts and feelings, victories and struggles. I am very impressed with the work Mrs. Kirkpatrick puts into researching the lives and personality of her heroines. Jane has a knack for making her characters vulnerable and believable. I come away from each of her books feeling like I have made a new friend from a different place and time. Here is how Jane herself describes her writing.
The enveloping story of Eliza Spalding Warren, set in Oregon Territory in the mid 1800's. The child of missionary parents, Eliza grows up along side Indians she trusts and loves. But when tragedy strikes, her family is forced to leave and feel betrayed by the people they've come to serve. Yet another disconcerting blow comes when Eliza's mother dies soon after. In the wake of so much loss, Eliza is left to find her way, while expected to be her demanding father's ministry assistant and raise her younger siblings. Feeling weighted down and hopeless, Eliza finds herself wooed away by a man with all the right words to say to a young woman who is only used to being valued for what she can contribute not who she is. Eliza enters her marriage knowingly naïve about some of her husband's character, but determined that it is better to start her own life than forever just being her father's helper. As Eliza faces the challenges that come with growing up, expedited by marrying very young, she only wishes her mother was still on earth to give her the advice she desperately needs. Then enters the intriguing element of having passages from her mother's diary interwoven thru out the chapters of the book. Eliza finds that her mother was a real woman with real struggles and how she found strength in the Lord.
This novel was the perfect way to start my fall reading binge! I've got some other great titles I'm working on and can't wait to share about in the coming weeks!
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
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