​Publication date: April 28, 2020 by Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Historical, Fiction, Romance
​Recommended for ages: +16

Synopsis

In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.

When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually…make peace with who they are.

*ARC generously provided by the Author via NetGalley*

Véleményem a könyvről

Bár talán ezen már meg sem kellene lepődnöm, de Amy Harmon ismét elérte, hogy ezt a könyvét is könnyek között fejezzem be. Ez egy hosszú, fájdalmas utazás története volt, tele kalandokkal, szívfájdalommal, szerelemmel és csodákkal. Hihetetlenül lebilincselő volt!    

A történet 1853-ban játszódik, a nagy migráció idején, amikor Amerika keleti vidékéről az emberek jó része elindult nyugat felé, a jobb élet reményében. Ekhós szekerekre felpakolták minden ingóságukat, és karavánokba tömörülve, gyalog indultak neki a hatalmas útnak, keresztül a prérin, sivatagon, hegyeken, az indiánok lakta területeken, útközben megküzdve kolerával, vadállatokkal, szomjúsággal és számos nehézséggel. A regény főszereplője a fiatalon, nemrég megözvegyült Naomi, aki családjával indul neki a hatalmas útnak Illinois-ból, és a félig indián John Lowry, aki akárcsak Naomi, kicsit mindig is kilógott a saját világából. Közös útjuk során egy olyan világ felé tartanak, ahol talán új otthonra lelhetnek, és ahol ezúttal talán számukra is akad hely.  

Azon felül, hogy maga a történet is tartogatott izgalmakat, a könyv témája is nagyon érdekes volt, és ismét látszik a hatalmas kutatómunka a regény mögött. Érdekesség, hogy amellett, hogy a történet több szereplője is valós történelmi személyen alapul, az írónő a saját ősapjának naplóját is alapul vette, aki annak idején szintén megtette ezt az utat. Elismerésre méltó, hogy milyen bátrak voltak az akkori emberek, én személy szerint nem biztos, hogy bele mertem volna vágni egy ekkora útba. A hónapokon át tartó menetelés rengeteg szenvedéssel, lemondással, veszéllyel és fáradsággal járt, és igazából nem tudhatták biztosan, hogy mi vár majd rájuk a nyugati parton.

A karakterek ismét kiemelkedőek voltak! Akárcsak Amy Harmon minden női főszereplője, Naomi is egy nagyon erős, önálló karakter, aki egy kicsit makacs, kicsit szókimondó, kicsit különc és lázadó, de nagyon szerethető. Nem kertel, és egyből kimondja, hogy mire vágyik a szíve, és csakúgy ahogy John képes megszelídíteni az öszvéreit és a lovait, Naomi is szép lassan megszelídíti Johnt. Nagyon tetszett John karaktere, és ahogy láthattuk, hogy mit jelent számára, az hogy mindkét világhoz tartozik – a fehér emberekéhez és az indiánokéhoz is -, de közben egyikben sem talál igazi otthonra. Naomi testvéreit is nagyon megkedveltem, és szintén tetszettek a szimbólumok és spirituális elemek a könyvben, ahogy Winnifred May gondolatai is.

Bár alapvetően ez egy lassú folyású történet volt, mégis tartalmazott izgalmakat és fordulatokat, amiket gyönyörű leírások és csodálatos írásmód tettek teljessé. Számomra ez a kötet volt az év egyik eddigi legkiemelkedőbb olvasmánya, és teljes szívemből ajánlom!

My Review in English

Although at this point I shouldn’t be surprised at all, at the end Amy Harmon left me with tears in my eyes once again. It was a story of a long, painful journey full of adventure, heartache, love and miracles. It was incredible!

The story takes place in 1853, at a time of America’s westward migration, when many people from the eastern part of America left their lives behind and moved to west with a hope of a better life. They packed up all their belongings onto wagons and started their long-long journey on foot packed in caravans, across the prairie, the desert, the mountains, trough the territory of Indians, struggling with cholera, beasts, thirst, and many difficulties. The main characters of the novel is the young, recently widowed Naomi, who begins the great journey out of Illinois with her family, and the half-Indian John Lowry, who just like Naomi, has always felt different and hasn’t found his place in the world. On their journey, they are heading for a world where they may find a new home and during the journey they may find themselves, too.

In addition to the excitement of the story itself, the topic of the book was also very interesting. I loved how the author took the time and researched this period of time deeply and I found really fascinating that several of the characters were based on real people and that the author also used parts of the diary of her five-times great-grandfather, who once also made this journey. It is admirable how brave the people were at that time, especially since they didn’t really know for sure what awaited them on the west coast. Over the months, the marching involved a lot of suffering, sacrifice, danger and hardship, all in the hope of finding a better life.

The characters were truly outstanding. Like all female characters of Amy Harmon, Naomi is an also a very strong, independent woman who is a bit stubborn, a little outspoken, slightly free-spirited and rebellious, but very lovable. She doesn’t beat around the bush and immediately states what her heart desires, and just like John tames his mules and horses, Naomi slowly tames John, too. I also truly liked John and I loved how we got a glimpse of what it meant to him that he didn’t really belong to the world of white people or the Indians’ either. I was very fond of Naomi’s brothers and I also liked the symbols and spiritual things in the book and Winnifred May’s thoughts.

Although it’s a slow-building story, it still contained excitement and twists, completed with beautiful descriptions and wonderful writing style. For me, this novel was one of the most outstanding reads of the year so far and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

My Favorite Quotes From the Book

“He says he doesn’t want to dance, but that is what we do. It’s just a different kind of dance. His mouth is pressed to mine, seeking and sinking, moving together and apart, all things working toward the same end. Or the same beginning. We are a circle of two.
It is not like the first kiss we shared. That kiss was all clash and confrontation. He wanted me to run, and I wanted to stay and fight. This kiss is not a fight. This kiss is slow and languid like the Platte, hardly moving, while beneath the surface the silt shifts and settles.”

“I realize now that life is just a continual parting of the ways, some more painful than others.”

“It’s worth it, you know.”
“What is, Jennie?”
“The pain. It’s worth it. The more you love, the more it hurts. But it’s worth it. It’s the only thing that is.”

“Sometimes when we think too long and too hard, we let fear get a foothold. But I think about you plenty , John Lowry.”

“(…) endurance . . . is a whole different kind of battle. It’s a hell of a lot harder.”

“I do not know if I love Naomi . . . not yet. It seems to me people make the admission too lightly and tumble head over feet down the hills to chase it. I am not ready for that, but I am falling. She is like a speck in the distance— something so far away and unknown that I can’t quit staring, trying to identify what I’m seeing. I’d take a mule over a man any day . . . but Naomi May is another proposition altogether.”

5- Brilliant -Stars

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