A review by the_horror_maven
The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin

4.0

The Children's Blizzard is one historical event that I really hold close to my heart. I've always felt very connected to pioneer history, and I have even visited a historical marker in rememberance of this blizzard in South Dakota. Needless to say, I about jumped out of my skin when I saw this book at the bookstore and even paid full price for it because I was so excited to see a historical fiction novel address this event. Unfortunately, I became very disappointed in the writing. All of the characters were poorly developed and largely unlikeable. I think it was because she didn't take the time to build them and allow the reader to form a connection. There were also way too many characters in the book, which contributed to a feeling of overwhelm. The author clearly tried to remain historically accurate, so much so, that she didn't seem to take the time to make the characters complex, and her writing fell very flat. Even though I have studied this blizzard extensively, I did appreciate how she put some true background behind the event at the end of the book for those who aren't as aware of this particular history.