The day before her
wedding Amanda Pearson is thrilled to be marrying Nathan, but before
the day is out her bridegroom has confessed his love for another and
canceled the wedding. Trying to overcome her disappointment, Amanda,
a Quaker, tells her father, a Quaker pastor, that she wants to travel
to the Wyoming Territory to join the Spalding Mission to bring
Christianity to the Nez Perce. He agrees to accompany her.
Before reaching the
mission, Amanda's father dies. He knows he's dying and makes Amanda
promise that she will continue on to the mission. He believes that
her destiny is there and that God will protect her. Harvey, the guide
they hired, sees it differently. He doesn't want to continue the
journey with a fragile woman.
Amanda is resolute,
and she convinces Harvey to continue the journey. The travel is far
more frightening and dangerous than Amanda imagined, but she is
rewarded by meeting both Indians and mountain men who help her on the journey and become friends.
The book has an
exciting plot. The dangers Amanda faces are described realistically, and the pace is fast.
I have two
reservations about the book. The development of Amanda's character is limited.
We know what she does, but we know little of her background or her
beliefs beyond her disappointment with her fiance and that her mother
died when she was born. However, the other characters, particularly
Mary Yellowbird, are well done and add to the texture of the story.
The second
reservation is the use of dialect. I find that using 'ya' too much is
distracting. Likewise all the thees and thous while appropriate for
the characters slow the reading. However, if you enjoy Christian
fiction, this is a book you'll appreciate.
I reviewed this book
for Handlebar Publishing.
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