Multnomah Books (May 20, 2008)
In this novel Pittman takes an old standby for historicals and puts a new twist in it. While this is a story of Americans moving west and is set during the Civil War it is neither a wagon train saga nor a Civil War story. Belinda and her family are forced to move by circumstances that her father only reveals later. However he decides that what little they have available for the trek west will be invested in an alternative to the popular and perhaps safer wagon trains. Therefore the travel takes place via train, steamboat and finally stagecoach until even more dire circumstances face Belinda and her cousin, Phoebe, who is traveling with the family. Along the way Belinda begins to discover more about her own faith, the people around her and who she is. As a teenager these times of growing and discovering are already tumultuous for a young girl but events in Belinda’s life make the year chronicled here even more so for her. If you enjoy historicals from mid-nineteenth century America you’ll likely enjoy this book. It is a refreshing departure from the time-tested Little House on the Prairie type stories that I have loved since childhood. Read this novel to discover the curves thrown at Belinda in the midst of her family’s journey and how these difficult times strengthen and stretch her faith and understanding of both herself and people she encounters.(ISBN#9781601420121, 384pp, $13.99
For more about Allison Pittman and With Endless Sight click the book cover for the Amazon page and her photo for her website. Also be sure to subscribe or drop back by on Fri as I will be posting your chance to enter and win a copy of this historical novel with a delightful twist to the usual fare for this era.
