I was interested to read this book because it was history that actually started its trek from Iowa City. Mormons starting out on a trail similar to the Oregon trail, except this was the Martin hard cart trail. (Pushing all of your belongings in a cart, the people being the oxen).It took 75 pages to learn all of the characters, then it took a while to remember the character you were reading about. If you remember hearing about the Donner party's fate, then reading about this is far worse. Fictional retelling of one of the ten handcart Saints companies of migration to 'Zion'. The story depicts the extreme conditions and disastrous events of the group. While I'm not drawn to any particular character and felt the characters were very limited and narrowly developed. I did enjoy the writing style of the author and learning about this historical reality of deprivations of moving. Having read other books both fiction and non-fiction about migrations across American and settling the west, this one has most vivid descriptions of the actual trek: the cold, the lack of fuel and food, medicines and medical attention, the small (and larger) miscalculations that had terrible outcomes, and so on. Engaging read but still fiction. She must have used many of the same journals and primary sources as the non-fiction Devil's Gate by David Roberts. Since some events and characters read almost exactly the same.Others reads about migrations via the American west (excluding once settled) : her other book for ya Quilt Walk, Across The Wide And Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary Of Hattie Campbell by Kristiana Gregory (ya), Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series (ya), The Mormom Trail (non-fic/ya), The Pioneers Go West by George Stewart (bio/ya), Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner (early reader), The Santa Fe Trail by Samuel Adams (non-fic/ya), The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerralong (early reader), along with Lewis and Clark Expedition stories. Overland in 1849 from Missouri to California by the Platte River and the Salt Lake Trail (non-fic). And for a non-fiction account of the push-cart Mormons see The Devil's Gate.
Do You like book True Sisters (2012)?
This book was ok it was dry in a lot of areas. I struggled finishing it.
—ziquapix
A book club selection or I would not have finished it.
—melissajmorrell
great read....thought provoking...couldn't put it down
—owski
