"A Clearing in the Wild" by Jane Kirkpatrick

I had been interested in reading this 2006 release for a while, so when Waterbrook Multnomah was offering it for review, I was pleased to receive a copy. This novel focuses on the life of Emma Wagner Giesy, a real historical figure, and the research that went into the writing is clearly quite meticulous. This tale starts in 1852 in northern Missouri, where Emma and her family were part of the Bethel Colony, under the leadership of Wilhelm Keil. The Bethelites were German utopian isolationists. When Keil began feeling threatened by the government, he decided to move the entire group from Missouri to Oregon, where he felt there would be more freedom.

It was hard for me to read a story that had such an authoritarian leader. There is something so dangerous about a man or woman who is convinced they are the voice of God. At the same time, I had some real issues with the way Emma conducted herself in order to manipulate Keil and others to be able to do what she wanted. I understand that she was bound by the relationships with her parents and husband and was not free to leave the colony on her own, but resorting to lies and manipulations is never the right answer, either. I feel for Emma, being such a bright and determined woman, but especially early in the story felt like she made some really bad personal decisions.

Keil decided to send scouts west in order to select a place for the Bethel colony to settle. When he names Emma's husband Christian as leader of the 9 men, Emma wrangles a way to be in included in the westward-bound party. Thus began the 6-month journey to the Pacific coast, several more months of searching for the right location, and then the beginning of preparing for the arrival of the rest of the colony. Emma and the scouts must learn the ways of a new land, forge new relationships, and deal with the harsh depravity that settlers often faced. Weather, lack of food, fear of Indian uprisings, and constant work to prepare for the expected 180 people to come behind them.

The author wrote this book in such a way that it seemed almost as though it had been written in the 1850's, not just set there. The paragraphs were long and descriptive. There was not a lot of dialogue. This was not a problem for me, as I love reading classic literature, but I could see how it would be easy to lose other readers. It wasn't so interesting that I'm definitely planning on reading the last two books in the Change & Cherish series, but it was interesting enough that I will keep my eyes open for them in the future. The events towards the end of this novel had me curious enough to do some internet searching to find out the real life history of what happened next. The author did an excellent job of incorporating true factual events, with imagination in the details.

I received my copy from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.