Reviews

4.5 Stars

From the moment I first heard of this book, I knew I had to read it. The Little House on the Prairie books started my love of reading, and I have always loved historical fiction set in the American West since then. This was not a disappointment. I loved it. It had all of the elements that I love in a book. I was completely immersed in this reading experience.

I did have to take a break from reading it for a couple of days because it felt too real to me and was causing me to feel some stress. The opening scene of the book foreshadows a pretty horrific scene, so I spent the first part of the book anxious about the future of the characters I was coming to deeply care about.

Also, I would have loved more details about how everything wrapped up at the end of the book. I thought the ending was satisfying; I just cared so much about the characters that I wanted to hear even more about their lives.

Truly, this book had my name written all over it and it will certainly make my favorites list of the year. This is the second book I have read this year by this author and I have really enjoyed them both. I look forward to reading more of her work.

ali_james's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

libbim3's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

isitcake's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

Good writing and plot, and I liked John Lowry aka Two Feet as a character but I felt like Naomi May was a bit underdeveloped. The book description is a bit misleading because she doesn't seem to be all that upset about her dead husband of 2 weeks, and its all in the past anyway. The real story is their journey on the Oregon Trail (Overland Trail?) and all the dangers and obstacles they face. Having John Lowry around to act as interpreter seemed invaluable, and makes it hard to imagine how other wagon trains would have survived. The ending wraps up nicely even if both characters have gone through the wringer to finally get to their destination.

Naomi is traveling with her pregnant mom Winnifred, brothers Will and Wyatt, and a think a couple other siblings. They're part of a wagon train heading out from Missouri. Her former in-laws, the Caldwells, are also with them which causes drama later on because her former father-in-law "views her as part of his family" so when John and Naomi start to get together he stirs up trouble. John Lowry is half Pawnee. His Indian mom raised him until he was 8 and I think she died, begging his white dad to raise him with his wife and their children. The wife became a mother to John but he's old enough now to start making a life somewhere else. He and his dad do a mule business, breeding and selling them. He takes some and heads on the trail with the Mays, Caldwells, and others.

There's lots of danger from river crossings, sickness and disease. Lots of people die just from getting sick. I think the Caldwell's daughter dies? Her brother's wife dies. There's tension any time Indians show up and John has to act as mediator, which is still tense since he's Pawnee and these are other tribes. At some point Caldwell scares off all his mules and he has to go rescue and barter them back.

The real climax of the book though is when John leaves to the wagon train to go into a camp/town to build his own wagon for him and Naomi, the Mays get separated from the train when some other woman gives birth or something? And somehow Will or Wyatt are messing around with a gun and manage to shoot an Indian? Well the Indians come back and kill Naomi's parents, the other family, and steal Naomi and her baby brother Wolfe (Winnifred gave birth to him along the way). John tracks her down and negotiates to get her back, but not in time to prevent her being raped by the one that took her. But they refuse to give back Wolfe because they view it as a son for a son for the Indian they killed.

Naomi can't bare to leave Wolfe so she and John join part of the tribe and follow them. John provides for them and makes some risky gambles when he bets and wins a horse race to win back Naomi's sketchbook. He's forced to kill his rival, the man who took her, and in the process wins 5 horses. Weeks pass until the family who took Wolfe show up, he has a high fever. He eventually dies and John and the Indians view it as a sign that he knew Naomi wouldn't be free unless he died.

After that John and Naomi leave and catch up with her surviving brothers in Oregon where they start a life together.

alwaysreadingmore's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

SYNOPSIS: Set on the Oregon Trail in 1853 families make the difficult trek out west. Struggling to survive the harsh conditions, not everyone makes it alive. Naomi became a widow at the age of 20 but is determined to leave her grief behind and find a better life. She and her family travel in a caravan with a half Pawnee Native American named John. Naomi and John have an instant connection. Their love is tested by the hardships of the journey and their different cultural heritages.

REVIEW: This was my first historical fiction romance, and I’m a fan! I liked reading from both John and Naomi’s perspectives. Amy Harmon wrote in a way that showed the hardships of the grueling expedition without it being the entire focus. The disease, dehydration, broken wagons, rough terrain, attacks from Native Americans, crossing raging rivers are only some of the set backs. Some women traveled while pregnant and many families turned back and never made it. The author’s note at the end mentioned how John was a real person and how she has a personal connection to the story! I will be reading more Amy Harmon books in the future!

kylaslittlelibrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

More...