Westering Women

Westering Women by Sandra Dallas.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 2020. 244pages.
Historical Fiction. ***** Publication Date January 7, 2020.

"If you are an adventurous young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?" The Ministers of the Gospel will escort these eligible women to the gold mines of Goosetown in the California Diggings. It's 1852 and Maggie realizes that this opportunity may be her ticket out of Chicago. How will she convince them to take her with them and that she is a good Christian woman of highest principles when she has a young daughter and no husband?

Maggie soon joins forty-three other women on the perilous 2,000-mile journey west. Limited supplies, possessions, and comforts, the women face challenges that none of them expect. Who among them will survive and what will the future bring when they arrive at their destination?

I read this book on a long airplane ride and laughed and cried. Dallas brings her characters to life and I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. Her book, Prayers for Sale is a favorite of mine, so I couldn't wait to read this one. I was not disappointed and will recommend it to all of my historical fiction lovers. Would I have survived had I chosen to accept the challenge to join this group of women? Probably not, but I would like to think that I have it in me to contribute in some way and to sacrifice everything to start a new life. The friendships forged in this unlikely group of women highlights the ability in all of us to overcome our differences and support each other.

I received an ecopy for a review.

Preorder at Amazon

New York Times best-selling author SANDRA DALLAS, the author of fifteen adult novels, two young reader novels, and two non-fiction books, was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.
Sandra lives in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado, with her husband, Bob. She is the mother of two daughters, Dana, a lawyer in New Orleans, and Povy, a photographer in Golden, Colorado. Visit her at https://www.sandradallas.com


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