From the Back:
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 Reflections:
Based on a true story, A Light in the Wilderness by Jane Kirkpatrick is a story about a black woman who follows the Oregon Trail, and the inequities she faces in her pursuit of freedom.
This account turned into fiction, is simply put a masterpiece.
I adore the fact that the authors notes delve into this astonishing story on a deeper level, it breathes life and substance into its fictional twin.
Kirkpatrick has a way with words, she is homespun, her work is raw and cuts to the chafe. It is a real treat to read such brilliant work!
The story is three fold really, three women and their life stories.
Letitia Carson the true main character in this tale is a woman striving for freedom and a new start. Her story is riddled with heartbreak, loneliness and a fierce determination to be whole.
When Irish immigrant and cattleman, Davey Carson implores Letitia to flee with him to the west, Letitia must make decisions that will change her life..
Nancy Hawkins has her hands full with raising a large family. Unwillingly she follows her husband Zach on the trip down the Oregon trail, She will do just about anything for the man she adores. Letitia being a midwife is the perfect solution to Nancy's need for care, and the two bond quickly. Embarking on a life filled with heart break and tragedy Nancy must be strong.
Betsy a Kalapuya Indian, cares for her grandson in the Williamette Valley. She is determined to pass on the way of her people. She is steadfast and dependable just the type of person Nancy and Letitia will need when they arrive in Oregon.
This was a book that I though I had pegged but turned out so much better than I could have imagined. I give this on 4.5 stars well done Jane Kirkpatrick!
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group"
About The Author
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Jane Kirkpatrick
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...
Continue reading about Jane Kirkpatrick
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