I love pioneer stories and I love Sandra Dallas, so True Sisters was nearly a sure thing even before I began reading. And I did love this book, despite the fact that it was hearbreaking.
True Sisters is the fictional accoung of the Mormons trek from Iowa City to Salt Lake City,Utah, pushing handcarts. I had never heard this portion of Mormon history and couldn't imagine undertaking such a journey. The pioneers had it rough enough on their westward journey but in comparison to what the Mormons endured, their trip looks surprisingly easy,
Louisa is married to Thales, the leader of the Mormons. He is certain that their trek to Salt Lake City will be successful and openly shares his belief that those who perish along the way did so because of their lack of faith.
Anne has come along on the journey with her husband, John, despite the fact that she is not Mormon and does not intend to join their faith.
And Nannie is traveling with her sister and sister's husband, faced with seeing the man she was once going to marry along on this journey now married to another woman.
What these three women endure along with the entire group on this journey is more devastating than anything they could have ever imagined. Rarely do I sneak a peek at the end of a book, but I couldn't help but look ahead to see if these women survived. Starvation was a major concern since the promised replenishments never arrived, frostbite - and even entire portions of the body freezing, sickness, drowning...the list of struggles was endless. While Dallas does include a storyline featuring polygamy, the true heart of this story is the trip that these three women make across the country.
True Sisters was a great historical fiction novel. I am already telling friends about it and encouraging them to read it for themselves.
2 comments:
I've read her previous works (Tallgrass) and haven't been eager to read anything else. But this one, because of the subject, is one I want to read. Glad you are recommending it!
Sandra Dallas is the queen of storytelling and her newest work, True Sisters, is no exception. True Sisters follows the Martin Handcart Company. Brigham Young encouraged all of his followers to come to the Zion, a place in Salt Lake City, Utah where they will settle. The perfect way for the Mormon's to travel the thirteen hundred plus miles is by walking, using a handcart to carry their essentials.
Many Latter Day Saints crossed oceans to go to the promised land, and they converged to travel together across the states. True Sisters tells the story of many of the women and their families and what they endure as they travel the thirteen hundred miles. Through hardships, the sisters keep one another sane and help them through their tragedies and their triumphs. They keep their faith and although they may question the new polygamy rule.
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