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awebofstories's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Grade: C
I admit that I am clearly in the minority here. I also admit that expectations may have greatly affected my disappointment. Not only is this book very highly rated by readers, but it is also (incorrectly) about the Oregon Trail, and I am looking for the great Oregon Trail novel!
First things first, this book is not actually about the Oregon Trail. It's about the Overland Trail, which is the sections of the Oregon and California trails that overlap. The families in this book are headed toward California, not Oregon. While this was not a big deal to me, I feel it is important to say as the marketing materials are misleading.
There were things I enjoyed. Harmon's prose is lovely and easily digestible. While I have complaints about this book, I never felt the reading was hard going. I also feel Harmon did a good job describing many of the trails people faced when traveling on the Overland Trail.
My problems fall into three categories. First, I felt that the narration had its problem. Like so many novels, this is told through the alternating viewpoints of the two main characters, Naomi and John. This is fine, but my issue was the two voices were indistinguishable. Naomi sounded exactly like John and vice versa. Many times, I realized as I was reading that I was seeing things through the wrong set of eyes.
Secondly, the structure of this book does not do it any favors. We begin with a prologue with a "big event," then travel back in time to the beginning of the characters' journey with the first chapter. By doing this, Harmon robbed the narrative of any anticipation for me. I knew what would happen because the author flat-out told me before the story even began! Instead of wondering what would happen, I was impatient for what I knew would happen.
Finally, I was uncomfortable with some of the depictions of Native Peoples. While some of the Native characters were portrayed in a positive light, others were not. I'm not saying that Native characters always have to be heroes. Still, the ways the antagonistic Native characters were portrayed were very reminiscent of how Native characters appeared in early and mid-twentieth-century Western films, which is not good. Harmon is a non-Indigenous author, and when non-Indigenous authors carelessly portray Indigenous characters, it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
So, no, this book was not for me. However, I recognize it is obviously for many other readers. I can only say that readers should know what they will and will not accept in historical fiction before starting this one.
I admit that I am clearly in the minority here. I also admit that expectations may have greatly affected my disappointment. Not only is this book very highly rated by readers, but it is also (incorrectly) about the Oregon Trail, and I am looking for the great Oregon Trail novel!
First things first, this book is not actually about the Oregon Trail. It's about the Overland Trail, which is the sections of the Oregon and California trails that overlap. The families in this book are headed toward California, not Oregon. While this was not a big deal to me, I feel it is important to say as the marketing materials are misleading.
There were things I enjoyed. Harmon's prose is lovely and easily digestible. While I have complaints about this book, I never felt the reading was hard going. I also feel Harmon did a good job describing many of the trails people faced when traveling on the Overland Trail.
My problems fall into three categories. First, I felt that the narration had its problem. Like so many novels, this is told through the alternating viewpoints of the two main characters, Naomi and John. This is fine, but my issue was the two voices were indistinguishable. Naomi sounded exactly like John and vice versa. Many times, I realized as I was reading that I was seeing things through the wrong set of eyes.
Secondly, the structure of this book does not do it any favors. We begin with a prologue with a "big event," then travel back in time to the beginning of the characters' journey with the first chapter. By doing this, Harmon robbed the narrative of any anticipation for me. I knew what would happen because the author flat-out told me before the story even began! Instead of wondering what would happen, I was impatient for what I knew would happen.
Finally, I was uncomfortable with some of the depictions of Native Peoples. While some of the Native characters were portrayed in a positive light, others were not. I'm not saying that Native characters always have to be heroes. Still, the ways the antagonistic Native characters were portrayed were very reminiscent of how Native characters appeared in early and mid-twentieth-century Western films, which is not good. Harmon is a non-Indigenous author, and when non-Indigenous authors carelessly portray Indigenous characters, it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
So, no, this book was not for me. However, I recognize it is obviously for many other readers. I can only say that readers should know what they will and will not accept in historical fiction before starting this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Murder, and Rape
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