Five Stars
Offered through the device of a diary comes this roller coaster of a story, which is in turn joyful and harrowing, romantic and devastating. The opening chapters of the novel are a relentless barrage of horrific action. The trials of life on a wagon train are laid out in all of their brutality; the death of a sibling is followed by the death of a father and the rape of a friend; corpses are found, children are murdered, limbs are amputated, and there is no anesthetic for either the characters or the reader. Thank goodness the seeds of a beautiful love story were being sown. Thank goodness for a fierce protagonist whose thirst for knowledge is as great as her bravery. Thank goodness for humor, new born babies, and an entire cast of complex characters to fall in love with.
I enjoyed the subtle transition in the narrative style as Sarah's knowledge increased. I liked the honesty that was poured onto the pages and the tender moments depicted between mother and daughter, sister and sister-in-law, husband and wife. I love that even weeks after reading the book I'm still thinking about it, still devastated by it, and still completely in love with it.
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