Book Review: Everything She Didn't Say

From The Back:

There is more than one way to tell a story . . . 
In 1911, Carrie Strahorn wrote a memoir sharing some of the most exciting events of twenty-five years of shaping the American West with her husband, railroad promoter and writer Robert Strahorn. Nearly ten years later, she's finally ready to reveal the secrets she hadn't told anyone--even herself.

Certain that her writings will be found only after her death, Carrie confronts the pain and disappointment of the pioneering life with startling honesty. She explores the danger a woman faces of losing herself within a relationship with a strong-willed man. She reaches for the courage to accept her own worth. Most of all she wonders, Can she ever feel truly at home in this rootless life?

My Reflections: 
This book is extremely well researched and written in an engagingly unique manner. Each chapter commences with a short journal entry penned by Carrie Strahorn and then moves onto her news and thoughts ending the chapters with her memoir posts. This was a very different style of crafting a story.
I enjoyed the way Jane Kirkpatrick took the subject of marriage and didn't make it storybook perfect. There were trials and learning curves that had to take place for the characters to settle in and meld into the roles that God placed them in, Isn't this true to life? We find that after the wedded bliss chips away a tiny bit that we are left to explore what true lasting relationships need. Work and dedication on both individuals are required for the union to succeed. I loved how this author pulls apart and seamlessly mends the storyline perfectly together in an imperfect manner. But I digress...

Though this book does not progress in a speedy fashion, it does wander slowly and there are places to stop and drink in a great truth bit by bit. I can't say "Everything She Didn't Say", was my favourite by this author, but I did enjoy the unique plot and historical background. I think Carrie had a lot of courage to follow her husband faithfully into many dangerous situations as they travelled from one town to another. I'm not so sure I would be so forthcoming, but it was a different time, women didn't have many options back then. I think readers who are truly interested in historical fiction will love the glimpses into the past, there are lots to offer in this new novel. However, I think some readers may not easily acclimatize to the style it is written in. 

So if you are looking for something unique, that takes a life and situations and shines them in a whole different point of view, this may be just your book. A side note: this novel is written around the actual memoir named: "Fifteen thousand miles by stage" so if you want to take a look at it before you read this one that may give some insight into the character and her life and experiences.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, including All She Left Behind, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver,This Road We Traveled,...

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