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A review by isitcake
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
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.
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.