Reviews

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

chars_cats's review against another edition

5.0

I thought nothing could live up to the first Amy Harmon book I read; What the Wind Knows, so I didn't dare read this for a few months. Big mistake. I could not put this book down, Amy Harmon makes me love the characters she is writing about, the emotion behind them all is amazing. She is now one of my favorite authors.

This is a completely different setting, early America. We get to see the travels of a young widow heading west and the adventures regarding her life and her heart are more than enough to keep you engrossed from beginning to end.

thelittleyaga's review

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If Elsa Dutton is your favorite Yellowstone character then this book is for you. This book shows the horrors and the hope in the American West. It also features some very important figures in history during the time that you may not have heard of otherwise. A blend of fiction and reality.

oopsdidireadthat's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

michellechien930's review

3.0

My second Amy Harmon book! She's such a terrific writer, and I've never read that many books that covered the pilgrims and the early colonies of America. It was interesting to understand a bit about that cultural backdrop and the clashes between the settlers and the natives. The romance bit was kind of dry for me, but otherwise it was a smooth-sailing read.

mehrymehriss's review

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death of parent, Death, and Child death

hail7203's review

challenging hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.25

kduffy's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

sallymentzer25's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

suvata's review against another edition

3.0

This book begins in 1853 when John Lowry and his wife, Naomi Mae, travel the Oregon Trail in hopes of making it to California.. As with many “pioneer” tales this story is filled with hardships, fear, and death. But, this is also a haunting love story.

mmhender2's review

adventurous challenging hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

dual narrators. Naomi May, a white woman with her family, and John Lawery, half white-half Pawnee, on the Oregon trail from Missouri. Harmon depicts the brutal nature of journeys on the Oregon trail and the complicated nature of humanity. Conflicts erupt in the caravan and between the emigrants and indigenous tribes they encounter. Themes include the idea of home; love, loss, grief, and hope; transcendence; how all of us contain good and bad; torn identities. My two critiques are that there could have been a bigger difference between the voices of the characters and the end felt too quick.