The book I finished reading last night is, very unfortunately, forgettable. Wanda Brunstetter is known for her Amish fiction, and this is a departure from her normal milieu.
Amanda and her father are Quakers and heading toward the Spaulding Mission to serve the Nez Perce. On the way, Amanda's father dies and Amanda and her guide are left to finish the journey. During a heavy storm, Amanda's guide is crushed by a falling tree limb and now Amanda is alone to finish her journey. Amanda, chilled from the storm, becomes ill and is not able to continue her journey. She falls asleep under the trees where she is found by Buck, a mountain man checking his traps. He takes her to his friend Jim's cabin where Jim's wife takes care of her until she is fully recovered. Jim asks Amanda to stay until his Nez Perce wife Mary Yellow Feather is delivered of her baby. When Rendezvous time comes around, Jim, his wife, and Amanda head for the Rendezvous, but before they get there, Jim is struck by a rattle snake and dies. Mary Yellow Feather and Amanda continue on to the Rendezvous and meet up with Buck again.
Most of the book revolves around calamities, deaths, and disaster. I will grant that traveling to the frontier was fraught with all kinds of dangers. It was not an easy trip to make and people were largely unprepared for the hardships they would face. It took A Woman of Courage to make the trip and then to fulfill the desires that sent them on the trip in the first place. The writing is compelling enough to keep the reader engaged; I would have enjoyed it a bit more without so much death and disaster. Three and a half stars.
This book was provided to me by Shiloh Run Press through NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are only that--opinions. No compensation was given to me for this review.
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