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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When I pick up a book written by Olivia Hawker, I know I’m going to be experiencing something special. The sense of harsh reality and intrigue begin on page one of this unusual novel, and they never let up. Through the eyes of two strong women thrust together due to circumstances, we experience what life must have been like in the almost barren landscape of frontier-era Wyoming.
Hawker has a wonderful way with words, and sometimes I feel as if I’m reading poetry. She’s also able to develop characters with entirely different voices who come alive on the page. There are no typical or stereotypical characters here, and the plot is not predictable. I never saw many things coming. Most fascinating is how she slowly but surely develops relationships that will pass the test of time, despite it all.
Great for fans of historical fiction and anyone who simply loves a beautiful story. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the advanced reader’s copy.
This novel takes place in Wyoming in 1870. There are few settlers and the Bemis and Weber families are neighbors – within walking distance – but their closest neighbors are 20 miles away. It’s a long way to a small town and the families have to rely on themselves during the long days and the longer winters. The author’s writing is so descriptive that I felt like I was with these families on the prairie with no one around for miles, working non- stop but being totally in touch with the land and the environment around them.
As the novel begins, Ernest Bemis finds his wife Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor. Ernest doesn’t think twice but shoots and kills his neighbor. He goes to prison for 2 years and that means that these two families have lost their men and have created a strong dislike of each other. The main day to day work on the farms fall to Beulah Bemis, age 13, and Clyde Weber, age 16. They both realize that for the two families to survive the winter, they need to work together but Cora Bemis is too ashamed and Nettie Mae is too angry and bitter to even consider it. Though Beulah is a hard worker and knows what needs to be done for the family to survive, she’s a bit dreamy and magical. Clyde on the other hand has been raised by a cruel father and has to learn to be a man without his father’s guidance, which may be a good thing because he doesn’t want to become a man like his father. Once Cora and Nettie Mae realize that neither family can survive the winter alone, Cora and her family – Beulah and 3 younger children move into Nettie’s Mae’s home. There is no friendship between the two women but as the winter goes on, they start to learn to trust each other. But along with trust, will Nettie Mae be able to forgive Cora and will Cora be able to forgive herself so that they can work together to help their families survive the long winter?
This a beautifully written novel about love, friendship and survival of the harsh land that will stay in your mind long after you turn the last page. I found myself reading this book very slowly so that I could savor the lyrical writing and beautiful descriptions of the landscapes.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
One for the blackbird
One for the crow
One for the cutworm
And one to grow
This traditional proverb is a perfect description of Beulah Bemis’s philosophy of life in Olivia Hawker’s historical novel, One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow. Beulah, the wise, dreamy thirteen year-old daughter of Cora and Ernest Bemis, considers herself as one with the earth and with all that grows there. The book is a Women Writing the West’s 2020 WILLA Literary Award Finalist.
Wyoming Territory, 1876, can be a dreary place when you have but one neighbor and no other settlers for miles. Ernest Bemis acts on impulse when he finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with neighbor Substance Webber, resulting in one man dead, the other in jail. With her husband in jail, Cora Bemis and her four children are left without a husband and father, and widowed Nettie Mae Webber and Clyde, her only child, are left to manage by themselves.
Clyde, sixteen, doesn’t really grieve the loss of his father. Substance was a mean, harsh man who belittled Clyde’s gentle ways with the livestock. His mother, Nellie Mae, however, bristles with indignity and hate, though not particularly with mourning.
Winter is coming and it’s apparent that the Bemis family isn’t ready. Late crops are yet to be harvested, but the main worry is an adequate wood supply; without it the family will freeze in the harsh Wyoming winter.
Clyde is now the man of the Webber house and he takes this new responsibility seriously. Strong and capable, he tries to do the right thing by helping the Bemis family and tend to his own chores as well. Beulah steps in beside him and the two manage to get through the late harvest and prepare the stock for winter.
As winter bears down, it becomes clear that in order to survive, drastic measures must be taken. How the two families manage in the course of a year, and the surprising strong bond that develops makes One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow a memorable, remarkable novel. The author vividly describes the wild Wyoming landscape down to the tiniest detail. She paints each character with their individual personalities so perfectly I felt I’d know them in passing. I could feel the juxtaposition of love and hate as though it happened in my own family. I highly recommend One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow. It is a novel to cherish.
I’ve read some books this year that absolutely took my breath away. THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens and now this beautiful book, ONE FOR THE BLACKBIRD, ONE FOR THE CROW by Olivia Hawker. All new authors for me.
This book will take you to a place where things are truly hard yet also simple. Hard work for everyone involved yet the beauty is so great you will fall deeply in love with the time and place. Things grow then die. It’s the circle of life truly.
Cora and Nettie Mae are neighbors. Cora has four children while. Nettie Mae has only one. They are not friends at all. Actually Nettie Mae despises Cora and with good reason. But as they decide that the only way to survive the winter is for them to merge families they get to know each other in different lights. In small ways. In ways that they both suffer yet thrive. From their families they learn how to get along. How to work together for the good of each and for the good of their land. With no husband around to help they rely on each other’s oldest children, Clyde, Nettie Mae’s son and Beulah, Cora’s daughter. They have to grow up on the fast time during these hard times and make the best of what life has granted them. Cora has three other smaller children while Nettie Mae only has the one son. She lost other children along the way and it made her hard. She hardened her heart in many ways because of what life dealt her. But through the laughter of children maybe she can learn to open up a bit. Even if it’s just a tiny bit.
This book is told from mainly Beulah’s POV but also from Clyde, Nettie Mae and Cora. Each has their own story or way of thinking. Beulah is a very sweet young girl of just thirteen who knows and loves the land in a way that no one can understand. She has a way about her that scares Nettie Mae but ultimately eases some of Nettie Mae’s harshness too. This young girl will get under your skin. She will make you believe in things you never thought about before. She just has a special way of telling things, of seeing things, of hearing things that no one else can. She can explain these things in such detail and liveliness that you can truly feel it. You will love this girl truly. Clyde is a young man who has to grow up quickly after his father’s death. He has to take on the running of no only his farm but of the Bemis’s farm also. He’s a hard worker and he never complains. He just does what he has to do. When him and Beulah start working together she helps him see things that he never saw. Helps him do the things that he finds very hard to do. Like when it’s time to kill the lambs for the meat they will all have to have to survive the winter. She has a way with all living creatures and with Clyde by her side they can do anything it seems. These to are a force of their own and no one will stop them from succeeding.
This is the story of two families who have to survive a cold harsh winter that came way to soon. They have to get along in one home. Under one roof that is filled with some very tense moments. These two families will become a part of you. The land will become a part of you. You can feel the cold. The animals. The crops. The things these families endure. From hard times to happy times you can feel to your bones. This is a beautifully written book that will make you believe in a happy ever after and it’s by far not a fairytale. But a life of hardships, friendships, love both young and old. Of life on a farm. From death to new life. It will make you cry in places and feel full in others. I had so many feelings reading this book that it’s hard to describe. Just know you will feel it all if you give it a chance. It’s just a beautiful book. One that you will fall in love with. One that is so hard to put down for anything. It’s a story of hope when you thing all is lost.
I believe this is just about the most perfect book I have read in a very very long time. I felt it in my heart. The author’s notes at the end even made me cry. What a great author. I love cats to by the way!!
Thank you to #NetGalley, #Lakeunion and #AmazonPrime for this book. This is my complete and honest review.
It’s a huge 5 stars from me and so worth many many more. I highly recommend this book. I can’t say it enough. I highly recommend this book.
I am in an utterly and hopeless book hangover after reading this book! Oh! My! Gosh! I am speechless! I Just had an “experience”! It was more than just reading a book. It was like going into the pages and becoming a part of the story. It was a complete bonding with the characters, the remote and endless landscape of the Wyoming territory and with the vegetation and animal life that dwelt within that habitat. It was an unbelievable and unforgettable encounter with an epic read.
I don’t even know how I can write a review close to worthy of this book. There are so many emotions I felt that were as real as if I were dealing with them myself. This is the first book I’ve read by Olivia Hawker and I’m in awe of her talent to pull so much out of me with her extraordinary prose. Each page in this magnificent novel drew me deeper into the lives of the characters. I’m just mind boggled at the intimate and minute details that created a living journey for me to travel in the pages of this book.
There are passages that blew me away with the depth and meanings they held. Passages that made me stop and ponder. This is one that is particularly profound:
This is a dream Beulah is having about a worm eating the leaf of a beanstalk….”The worm moved its terrible jaws and spoke. God is said to be great, the worm told me, So great you cannot see Him. But God is small, with hands like threads, and they reach for you everywhere you go. The hands touch everything-even you, even me. What falls never falls; what grows has grown a thousand times, and will live a thousand times more. Wherever hand touches hand, the Oneness comes to stay. Once God has made a thing whole, it cannot be broken again.”
The characters are unforgettable people. They are based after the author’s ancestors and are truly unique and memorable. I so appreciated the Author’s Notes and Acknowledgement added at the end of the book. It was so interesting how she developed and came to write this amazing novel. This is a very lengthy novel but so worth every word that’s written in it. I truly didn’t want it to end. I want to thank Lake Union and Olivia Hawker for the extreme privilege I had of reading this book! This is my honest and heartfelt review of a book that ranks as one of my top 5 this year.
Good conflicts!
Interesting group of individuals and their interactions in rough circumstances! The landscape and weather become as important as characters. Good read.
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow is a lyrically written story of 1870’s Wyoming and the hardships of two tragically connected families. This is a story of healing and hope. Olivia Hawker’s beautiful writing is a story to be savored!
A really good book. I found myself drawn into the lives of these two women and the hardships they face. It is a story of survival ,betrayal and love all rolled into one book. The characters are strong and very well written you can picture them very clearly. The hardships of life in wyoming in the 1800’s makes actions and outcomes so much harder to bear. Cora has an affair with Nettie Maes husband and Cora’s husband kills kills him then goes to jail for it leaving the women to survive and raise their children the best they can . Life is ironic and throws in a romantic twist with their children . Both women must decide if they can forgive and depend on each other to survive and not loose their children over it. Kept me reading until the end to see what would happen. Very interesting. Well worth reading.
This was a very well written and poignant historical novel set in 1870 on a lonely Wyoming prairie. Only two families lived within walking distance of each other’s farms. They would have to travel 20 miles to the nearest town for the doctor or any supplies that they may need. They had horribly long and extremely cold winters, wild animals to keep away from their many farm animals and daily back breaking work to run their farms and live off of the land.
I want to thank the author Olivia Hawker, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for granting me an arc at my request. All thoughts on this review are my own and voluntary. This is the first book that I have read from this author and am looking forward to reading her other published book which I just purchased.
I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for an experience of how life was back in the late 1800’s. It was an experience that reminded me of Little House On The Prairie and has a wonderful storyline.
This book…wow. I have so many words, so much I am feeling for this book…it was so wonderful. The writhing… so beautiful and lyrical and wise.
I loved this story of pain, love, struggle and hate, understanding, forgiveness, joy, nature and seasons and of life and death. Olivia Hawker has taken all this and more, and evolved it into the story of two women, their men gone, reluctantly bringing their families together to survive the beautiful wild Montana land. Hawker’s writing is beautifully flowing and the reader is drawn within the pages as Hawker artfully describes their struggles and discoveries of each other and all that is around them. And her characters! How I loved these people. So flawed and true to life.
The story is over, and I now feel empty and lost and I miss it………
This has been moved into my top ten of all time favorites!
Book is due to come out Oct 8, 2019
Easy 5 star, but that, somehow, feels like a low score.
My extreme thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautiful novel that read like poetry at times. I would put it up there with When The Crawdads Sing.
A story of struggle, betrayal, heartache and forgiveness. Set in 1870 Wyoming, two families living in the stark unforgiving prairie try to survive the brutal winter, when one father is murdered and the other is sent to jail for his murder. Neighbors that hate each other, come together to protect the children and save their farms and its animals.
Olivia Harper is a prolific writer, that weaves beauty into her descriptions of the prairie and the surrounding terrain, the animals that roam the land and the relationships that are formed from this union. I felt I was taken along this journey along with the interesting characters that she gave us.
There’s a bit of fantasy and the supernatural thrown in to make the characters more interesting. I received this ARC for my honest opinion and I hope that I gave the review that it deserves. You need to read it.
#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing
Two families find themselves living together to exist in 1870 in Wyoming.
It is a story of love, faith, family, anger and fear.
We see Nettie Mae, her only living child Clyde, Cora, and her four children, merge as one family when they are without either husband to help take care of their farms and in desperate need of help.
Winters are harsh. Food is scarce and there are young children to care for.
Can the two ladies put aside their hatred to encourage their families to survive?
Can they come together as Clyde and Cora’s oldest daughter Beulah work together to learn about life, death, and love?
Time will tell.
This is a beautiful story with details that make you to believe you have been transported back in time.
Excellent!
What a wonderful story!!!
Not exactly Larry McMurtry but a good tale of 1876 frontier and family life in a small bubble under a big sky.
It was a bit slow, but the characters were realistic and engrossing.
A beautiful, lyrical story about two families living on the harsh prairies of Wyoming under quite trying circumstances. Told from four different perspectives, we can hear the desperation as they each try to figure out how to survive without the grown men of their households who are unexpectedly wrenched from them just before winter hits. They have children to feed. And it’s apparent they must band together somehow and learn how to fend for themselves without much previous training. The problem is that the wives don’t like each other at all, and there are very specific reasons for that. I listened to the audiobook version which is eighteen hours long. But I would have been okay to keep it going just because I was completely struck by the writing itself. It’s so descriptive that you can almost smell the weeds and hear the wind blow through them at the same time. When the snow comes, you feel the cold and squint against the brightness of the sun. The story itself is compelling and engrossing. And there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way through. I can easily recommend reading this one and plan to read others by this author in the future.
This was my first exposure to Ms. Hawker’s work, and I’m glad I ignored even the subtle criticism from people used to the pace of suspense writing and lighter fare. This book’s strength lies in the beautiful writing, and eye for detail. People who love nature and the earth will quickly fall in love with how, after the shocking death of one of the central characters, two neighboring farming families are forced to come together to survive in the shadow of the Big Horn in Wyoming. Add the vivid characters that will make your heart beat faster from both pain and pleasure, and you have a work of literature that makes Ms. Hawker a writer to follow.
Great descriptions
This is one of those books that draws the reader so deeply into its core that I found myself disoriented when I would set it down, surprised that I wasn’t actually living on a remote ranch in Wyoming in 1876. The writing is superb — magical and deeply moving. This has earned a place on my list of favorite books.
This was a wonderful novel! I enjoyed how the characters were brought to life, the way that their stories were told, their emotions, and the relationships between each other. I was engrossed in the story from the first page. There are two families living out secluded on the Wyoming prairie in 1870. When one man kills a man from the other family, both families are destroyed and left full of loss. When winter gets closer, the women realize they have to somehow work together to keep their farms going. Nettie Mae has to deal with the other woman Cora who was sneaking off with her husband. At the same time, their oldest children are working easily together to take on all the work that the farms require. What each of the characters learns from the others will change all of their lives.
Like the different characters narrating to
understand that character better
Interesting plot. Dramatic. An original setting