A Light in the Wilderness (SEPT 1st - 8th)
Three very different women. One dangerous journey. And a future that seems just out of reach.Letitia holds nothing more dear than the papers that prove she is no longer a slave. They may not cause most white folks to treat her like a human being, but at least they show she is free. She trusts in those words she cannot read--as she is beginning to trust in Davey Carson, an Irish immigrant cattleman who wants her to come west with him.
Nancy Hawkins is loathe to leave her settled life for the treacherous journey by wagon train, but she is so deeply in love with her husband and she knows she will follow him anywhere--even when the trek exacts a terrible cost.
Betsy is a Kalapuya Indian, the last remnant of a once proud tribe in the Willamette Valley in Oregon territory. She spends her time trying to impart the wisdom and ways of her people to her grandson. But she will soon have another person to care for.
As season turns to season, suspicion turns to friendship, and fear turns to courage, three spirited women will discover what it means to be truly free in a land that makes promises it cannot fulfill. This multilayered story from bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick will grip your heart and mind as you travel on the dusty and dangerous Oregon Trail into the boundless American West. Based on a true story.
My Impressions
Heartbreak, tragedy, joy, sorrow, strength and redemption on the Oregon Trail. Jane does a marvelous job weaving together so many fascinating characters as these three women bring who set the spotlight in this book. I cannot imagine what life must have been like for slaves and their freed counterparts. The inner turmoil, fear, insecurity and hope that these women have will forever change your life and the way you think about slavery. These women are so powerful that when I read their stories I think of the book of
James 1: 2-5 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Although they may not have counted everything as joy, they held out hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Although I will admit had this not been based on real life events I might not have taken as much interest in the book. The marriage between Davey ( a white Irishman) and Letitia ( a freed black slave) was interesting to read about. I adored how Letitia wanted the solid foundation they built based on God and His guidance for their lives and not their own strength. Being a mixed couple with children can be dangerous even still in this generation, and so much more during the days of the Oregon Trail. Although Davey ended up not being such a great man, cowardly in fact, I still admired Letitia perseverance.
As with any book I read from Jane, my life is better for it and my passion for the Lord strengthened.
Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have been finalists for the Christy Award, Spur Award, Oregon Book Award, and Reader's Choice awards, and have won the WILLA Literary Award and Carol Award for Historical Fiction. Many of her titles have been Book of the Month and Literary Guild selections. Jane lives in Central Oregon with her husband, Jerry. Learn more at www.jkbooks.com.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The Baker Publishers & Revell Review Crew.
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