This is a tale about a group of people who leave St. Charles, Missouri, in wagon trains to go to California. The story takes place shortly after the Civil War.
The book mainly focuses on two characters. The first is eighteen-year-old Anna Goben who, along with her mother, Wilma, live with her grandfather. Since the war death of her brother, Dedrick, her mother has become an alcoholic, and the zest for living has left her grandfather. Anna’s hat and candle making business has been the only income keeping the family afloat. Anna has been pushing for her family to join the wagon train, and make a fresh start in the west. Anna is very hopeful the trip, and a new place to live, will help her mother overcome her alcoholism as well.
Young war widow, Caroline Milburn, also a friend of Anna, would like a new start, too. She has been unhappily living with her sister and her surely, alcoholic brother-in-law. All women on the wagon train must have a man in the party, so Caroline agrees to be a nanny to a family she doesn’t know in order to join the wagon train.
Although it is hard for everyone to leave their friends and relatives, the wagon train sets off west. Anna is constantly on guard to keep liquor away from her mother, and check for hiding spots she might keep it in. Despite that, her mother becomes drunk and almost drowns Anna and herself, along with two wagon train workers, when she falls into the river. The head of the wagon train threatens to kick the entire family out of the wagon train if Wilma has any more incidents with liquor. Anna is devastated by her mother’s actions, and exhausted from trying to carrying Wilma’s burden of addiction for her.
Along the way, the people in the wagon train experiences adventure, hardships of the trip, some mysterious thefts, illnesses, false accusations and romance.
I really liked how this author writes. This book is well written, the characters are believable and the reader is immediately drawn into the story. However, I truly felt like I was reading a book that was at least book two in a series. There were characters and events referred to that weren’t part of this story, so it made me feel like I was left out of the loop.
Upon investigating, I found there was another book series this author has written. That series had some of these characters, so I must assume incidents and characters in that other series are where references in this book come from. I really believe this should be book four in that other series, instead of book one in a new series.
The ending in this book didn’t wrap up a lot of the story lines going on. Some came to a conclusion, but other didn’t, including the fact that the wagon train has only made it as far as Nebraska on their California trek. The reader is left to wonder about the unanswered questions. I loved the book, what there was of it. But because of incomplete story lines at the end, and confusing references throughout the tale, I can only give this book 3 stars.
The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own, and I have not been compensated in any other manner.
Author’s website: http://www.monahodgson.com/
Author bio: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=108368
More information: http://www.amazon.com/Mona-Hodgson/e/B001H6SQZC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1374910697&sr=1-2-ent
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