From the bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night comes a powerful and poetic novel of survival and sacrifice on the American frontier.Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with … compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn’t think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse.
Losing her husband to Cora’s indiscretion is another hardship for stoic Nettie Mae. But as a brutal Wyoming winter bears down, Cora and Nettie Mae have no choice but to come together as one family—to share the duties of working the land and raising their children. There’s Nettie Mae’s son, Clyde—no longer a boy, but not yet a man—who must navigate the road to adulthood without a father to guide him, and Cora’s daughter, Beulah, who is as wild and untamable as her prairie home.
Bound by the uncommon threads in their lives and the challenges that lie ahead, Cora and Nettie Mae begin to forge an unexpected sisterhood. But when a love blossoms between Clyde and Beulah, bonds are once again tested, and these two resilient women must finally decide whether they can learn to trust each other—or else risk losing everything they hold dear.
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The story of two women on a desolate prairie. The husband of one of the women kills the other’s husband having an affair with the other. One husband is dead and the other in prison. These two women have to come together somehow, to survive the brutal winter and then save their farms and families. A forbidden romance blooms between a very mystical daughter and a son. .
The second book by a best selling author is often a disappointment, but not this one. It’s a much different book than “The Ragged Edge of Night,” and I am more interested in books with a World War II, but this was really good. I love the author’s descriptive passages , too
WOW! I have a new favorite author! How have I never heard about her???
This is such an incredible book. The sheer beauty of her writing literally brought me to tears twice. So descriptive – a string of letters that combine to become magical. I kept re-reading sections of it in total awe of her talent!
I can not recommend this book highly enough. A mere five stars doesn’t do it justice! It is a unique and satisfying story with wonderful characters woven together by a true master. I absolutely loved it and I know I’ll read it over and over again. once is definitely not enough.
5+ This is my kind of book–long, winding (but with character goals in mind) and pretty but gritty. Just a fantastic read about the pioneering west. Each character is distinct and transformed by what’s happening. Exploring how choices can impact entire families and their community, the story demonstrates how in the worst of times love and forgiveness are possible. Pulling from her family history, Olivia Hawker creates a story that’s alive even though inspired by people who died long ago.
A wonderful story involving two women who start out disliking each other because of a extra matriomonial occurrence. Has amazing surprises and and when push comes to shove they must join as friends to survive.!
I think this fantastic book is award-winning material. Olivia Hawker has outdone herself, and since I loved her last book, The Ragged Edge of Night, so much, that wasn’t easy. Set on the prairie frontier in the mid 1800s, it is the story of two women forced to work together to survive the prairie winter, despite the fact that one of them had an affair with the other’s husband, who was then killed by the adulterous wife’s husband, who then goes to jail. And that..’s just in the first few pages. I could not put this book down, but in addition to the “will they make it or won’t they?” question that drives the reader forward, there’s the dreamy yet hard-working teenaged daughter who has a mystical connection to the raw beauty around her. Oh, and there’s a teenaged son as well – from the other woman. Just imagine what might happen!
One of the best books I read in 2019 and of the best books I’ve ever read.
Grown up little house on the prairie
I like the other Olivia Harker I read, but this one presented more difficulties. It’s a pretty accurate depiction of frontier life in Wyoming. However, it was hard to like any of the characters and certainly almost impossible to identify with any of them. It’s well written and I certainly appreciate all the early settlers did to build a life for themselves.
With lush prose, and deep characterizations, Ms. Hawker involves the reader in two families who must rely on one another after a tragedy that should have broken them apart. Desperate women struggle to run two farms and survive a terrible Wyoming winter after their husbands are taken. Their oldest children, a girl of thirteen, Beulah, and a boy of sixteen, help in their own distinct ways. Will the prairie win, their prejudice or hate, or will they learn to work together? Beulah, wise beyond her years, is attached to the land, all of nature, in a spiritual way that others don’t understand. The day to day struggles are sharply described, with the families trapped in a remote area, fighting their inner demons and the elements.
It was too wordy and didn’t really go anywhere.
This author is one of the best word crafters I’ve read sInce Pat Conroy. She spins a great tale with characters who show growth in a story that allows you to experience the hardships of early times on Wyoming prairies. I couldn’t put the book down from the first chapter. This book shows believable tragedy and the strength of hope. I loved the characters and the story.
Based on the author Olivia Hawker’s own family history, the novel, One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, tells the tale of the Bemis and Webber families, the only settlers for miles on the Wyoming frontier of 1876.
For the complete review, go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2019/11/03/one-for-blackbird-one-for-crow/.
It was a riveting story of love, hate, friendship and tragedy. It celebrates the power of atonement and redemption. One of the characters was quirky and interesting. I was disappointed that it ended when it did. I wanted to see the fruition of the love story.
Loved this book!!!
Truthfully I didn’t finish this book but I’m finished with it. The setting and the initial premise were intriguing. For some reason the author kept interrupting the plot to give us excessive chapters about each character’s impressions of an action. The first one—reaction to a murder—seemed appropriate since each character was individually affected. But the interruptions happened again after two characters harvested a field of late season corn, when they aided the birth of the lambs, etc. it was very frustrating.
Then I began questioning the premise that two families who did not previously know or even like each other would live within shouting distance in a remote part of the Bitterroot Mountains. The closest town was twenty miles away with vast uninhabited stretches between town and farms—yet they lived on top of each other.
Finally, after plodding through half of the story, I gave up.
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawkes is a very different kind of historical fiction, inspired by Hawkes’ great grandparent’s names. It is mostly narrative with a small amount of dialogue and is told from multiple points of view. It is the story of a personal tragedy the ended up bringing people together in some very odd ways. The story takes place out on the plains of Wyoming sometime in the middle to late 1800’s. Beulah is the heroine of the book and she is a 13/14 year-old girl who is odd. She is one with her surroundings and appears to be able to see the future sometimes. Her mother had had sex with the neighbor down by the river and her father saw and shot the neighbor. He then went home and told his family, when to his neighbor and told her about shooting her husband, and went into town to turn himself in to the sheriff. Shortly thereafter the sheriff came to the farm to report that he had been given a two-year jail sentence. Then things started happening. The man who died was named Substance and he had become a cruel, hard man. He hit his wife and son and was generally no one to be around. They didn’t really feel sorrow for his death, but they both knew life on the prairie would be much tougher with him gone. Worse, was the life of the family of his killer.
As these people got to know one another, the walls between them broke down for various reasons. They grew to respect one another and in some cases love. It was a deeply personal book as well as a book that looked deep into the souls of the persons involved. They all took 180-degree turns in their lives. It is a story beautifully told. It is tragic: a tale of selfishness, self-centeredness, and immaturity. In many ways it is a coming of age novel, with several characters coming of age, not all from childhood. Hawkes’ choice of genre is interesting as it is not entirely historical fiction, but really more women’s fiction. The way it is written, as well as the subject, made it difficult to read in long sittings. It was an entirely interesting book. One I would recommend if you have patience and an interest.
I received a free ARC of One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #onefortheblackbirdoneforthecrow
A character-driven historical novel by new-to-me author Olivia Hawker, ONE FOR THE BLACKBIRD, ONE FOR THE CROW, took me to the unpopulated Wyoming prairie in the late 1800s where two families had to figure out how to survive when one father is killed and the other goes to jail for the crime.
The struggle of both families in an area where they only have each other takes on new meaning when the women are forced to do whatever it takes to keep their children safe through the harsh and unforgiving winter, even if it means they have to live and work together. Nettie Mae Webber has every reason to hate Cora Beemis, after all, it’s her fault they are in this mess. Fortunately for the Beemis family, her son Clyde has no desire to leave a woman and her children, especially three young ones, unprepared for the winter to come. When it becomes obvious that Clyde, despite the help of the eldest Beemis child, Beulah, can’t keep two farms going through the winter, the only real solution is to combine resources and families under one roof, Nettie Mae grudgingly opens her home.
There was so much in this novel, such a connection to the land, and the descriptions of it and the struggles faced daily were well-written, that you felt like you were there, almost experiencing it yourself. This is a novel of family, forgiveness, companionship, and resiliency, all wrapped up with, what seemed to me, a touch of magic. Beulah’s connection to the land and everything around her was beautiful, and it’s easy to see how it would make some people uneasy. The characters are three-dimensional and interesting to observe as the novel progresses, as they grow and change with each hardship they face.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#OneforTheBlackbirdOnefortheCrow #LakeUnionPublishing #OliviaHawker #NetGalley
Long But Beautiful. This is an incredibly detailed story of loss and love set in the Old West, and while the basic premise has been told many times in many settings, Hawker does an excellent job of highlighting a side to it not often shown. While the tale could have arguably been told with less specific details and at least 100-150 fewer pages, Hawker uses the extra detailing well – in service to the story rather than detracting from it. I know, it is approaching end of year and if you’re concerned about the number of books you’ve read this year, 500 pages is daunting. Trust me, you’re going to want to read this one anyway. 😉 Very much recommended.
It took me time to really get into the story because of the slow pace and length of the book. But I eventually didn’t mind it that much when I was further into the story. The multiple POVs (Beulah, Clyde, Cora, and Nettie Mae) were great because it showed different perspectives and made it easier to connect and relate to the characters. I had to get used to how Beulah’s POV was written because it was sometimes difficult to follow, however, after getting to know the character it made sense that her POV was written in a different style.
This book is about family, redemption, forgiveness, sacrifice, and survival. Each character have their own problems they are dealing with, and it was beautiful to see how eventually they were able to put aside their differences and come together. I think the author did a great job in portraying how life was on the American frontier. I especially felt the loneliness and how much having a neighbor close by could keep you grounded. The reason I didn’t rate it higher was because I thought the story felt monotone at times and I would’ve loved and epilogue at the end because it felt a bit unfinished.