This book is quite an abnormality for me. Typically, I shy away from this genre....a genre that I can't think of a word for other than kitsch. I suppose I should have known better than to take an interest in a book on my mother's kitchen table. This is her kind of book; not mine. However, the back cover intrigued me...
The Daughter's Walk is a historical fiction novel based on the real life story of Clara Estby. Clara and her mother Helga embarked on a cross-country walk at the end of the 19th century from Spokane to NYC. While on a personal level, their walk was an attempt to save their family's farm from foreclosure, they were sponsored by those wishing to promote the new "reform dresses" of the time. The beginning portion of the novel, which told the story of their walk had been the hook for me and it was the part I found most interesting by far. I enjoyed reading about the burgeoning feminist movement and suffragettes.
However, once the walk was over and the story became about Clara's struggle in connecting to her family and her career in the fur industry, I lost most interest. The book deals a lot with the value of family and the importance of mending fences with them. I finished the book because it wasn't a difficult read and, in honesty, I wanted it to count toward my goal for the year. Even still, it wouldn't be one that I'd pick up again. I would absolutely recommend it to Christian women looking for a novel that still falls in their genre without all the Amish romance. But, to anyone looking for the next great American novel, take a pass.
Pages: 385
Genre: Historical, Novel
No comments:
Post a Comment