This complex book is ultimately the story of a late nineteenth century young woman’s marriage, move from the established city of St. Paul, Minnesota, to the unsettled Dakota Territory, and struggle to be happy – and independent. The book has several strong points – the prose is striking and each character has a unique voice that is maintained throughout the book. The story itself is interesting and lively; the reader can easily feel the essence of the prairie days. While it may not be Little House on the Prairie, one has a clear sense of the rhythm of prairie life.
Ultimately, however, I came away feeling that the author had simply bitten off more than she could chew. Too many characters seemed to fall by the wayside, leaving me wondering whatever happened to them or, in some cases, what purpose their creation and cultivation had served. Likewise, elements that initially seemed they would be integral in the plot (Anna’s little brown bottles and the Little Carl plot twist, for example) were introduced and then disappeared, adding more confusion. I often felt a bit overwhelmed, needing to flip back to reread passages to see if I’d missed something (I never felt that I had, only that I couldn’t quite put the pieces together), or to remind myself who a character was and what role they played in the story. So much just didn’t make sense. In the end, I was disappointed that the accumulation of the lost characters and plot points overwhelmed the story.
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