All Together in One Place

April 1, 2000
In April 1852, Mazy Bacon's husband, Jeremy, sells their farm, buys a wagon and some cattle, announces that they are heading West, and invites her mother along for the ride. A shocked Mazy has no choice but to follow and hope God will hear her pleas to return home. As the small family journeys westward and joins a wagon train heading for the Oregon Territory, the strengths and weaknesses of each person are dragged glaringly into the spotlight, with Mazy emerging as one of the most faithful. The wagon train may get attacked by every Western clich known--cholera, savages, bad water, etc.--but the beauty of this books lies in the strength of the female characters. Unfortunately, though, Kirkpatrick (A Burden Shared) leaves several plot points hanging while she wraps others up a little too easily. Westerns by Brock Thoene and Stepehn Bly will be more in demand by avid readers; consider this only for comprehensive collections.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2000
Mazy Bacon comes kicking and screaming along on the Oregon Trail when her husband, Jeremy, sells their Wisconsin farm. This tempestuous marriage forms the heart of Kirkpatrick''s by turns tender and brutal look at how it must have been to head west in 1850.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)