My flight to DC was delayed by over an hour - and I had gotten there and hour and a half early anyway - so I was totally able to finish a book!! The book in question was True Sisters by Sandra Dallas - number 8 of her 10 novels that it looks like I will finish - and it was a good read - compelling enough to keep me awake on a red-eye flight!!
The story is a novelization of the experiences of several women on the ill-fated Martin Handcart journey to the Salt Lake Valley. I'm not sure how I feel about some elements in the story. It was somewhat harsh in its condemnations of the actions of some of the men leading the trek. The auther is not LDS, but she is not unsympatetic, and her issue is not with the gospel but with the men overseeing the journey.
There is one wife who is not LDS, and she is opposed to going, but she goes anyway. She holds her self aloof from the other women at first, but she comes to appreciate their love and concern for her and her family. One of the themes is the inherent sisterhood of women - regardless of religious beliefs - or non-beliefs.
If anyone else has read it, I'd love to get your response.
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I just finished it yesterday. I enjoyed it like all Sandra Dallas books I've read, because she has an ability to transport me back in time. Which is why I love realistic fiction. It was definitely interesting knowing it was not written by someone who is LDS, so I found myself thinking...is this really true? Can I believe this? Or even, no this is not a correct portrayal. Thales Tanner was an easy character not to like, at least for me. I was quite please when his wife chose not to choose him in the end when he said something like, Louisa you deserve me! It was heart wrenching to read about the loss of life, limbs, and faith. I could only begin to imagine the starvation and bitter cold. It certainly makes me want to study up on Martin Handcart Co. history. I find myself grateful for my life of ease and comfort and question/wonder if I would have been able to survive an ordeal like it.
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