From the bestselling author of Prayers for Sale, Sandra Dallas’ Westering Women is an inspiring celebration of sisterhood on the perilous Overland Trail AG Journal’s RURAL THEMES BOOKS FOR WINTER READING | Hasty Book Lists’ BEST BOOKS COMING OUT IN JANUARY “Exciting novel … difficult to put down.” –Booklist “If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, … “If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?”
It’s February, 1852, and all around Chicago, Maggie sees postings soliciting “eligible women” to travel to the gold mines of Goosetown. A young seamstress with a small daughter, she has nothing to lose. She joins forty-three other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west.
None are prepared for the hardships they face on the trek or for the strengths they didn’t know they possessed. Maggie discovers she’s not the only one looking to leave dark secrets behind. And when her past catches up with her, it becomes clear a band of sisters will do whatever it takes to protect one of their own.
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Travel with a ragtag but respectable group of women from Chicago on their way to California in the late 1880s. Feel their highs and lows as they experience success and unavoidable failures.
A band of broken women seeking to leave problems behind join together for a trek to California. Westering Women follows Maggie, Mary, Sadie, Winny and Penn as they transform from weak, unsure women to strong, capable sisters. Caroline, Joseph, William, Bessie and Evaline have their own secrets and reasons for making the journey.
The writing makes this book read like history. The author certainly spent years researching this book. The characters are like a good cup of coffee, rich and full. It leaves you wanting much more. They will get into your heart and stay there. This story will stay with you long after you close the book.
We need more historical fiction covering the pioneer days of the US and written as well as this one!
I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
Looking through her list of books, I realised that I have read a few books by Sandra Dallas. They have all stuck out in my mind as very special books. “Westering Women” is another one of those srories. It is at once heartwarming, heartbreaking, encouraging, hopeful and joyful.
This novel is based on a true story of women that joined a wagon train moving to California to find husbands who may have struck it rich panning for gold. Some of them were carrying secrets and some were just looking for a good man. Their losses were heartbreaking, their triumphs were joyful. They encouraged one another, became family and carried their hope with them. They were strong, walking 2,000 miles to California and doing the work of men when the hired men stoled their provisions and left them in the lurch. These were strong women!
I loved this book and recommend it for anyone that likes historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Westering Women by Sandra Dallas is an amazing historical fiction novel set 1852 and tells of the months-long quest of 39 women traveling with two ministers from Chicago to Goosetown, California with the understanding of potential marriage to goldminers living there.
This is much more then just a historical read. This is a story of second chances, redemption, acceptance, love, creating your own family, selflessness, perseverance, and heart. These women (and William and Joseph) did not realize how strong, capable, independent, and valuable they truly were until they were forced to make this harrowing journey and find a strength in themselves and each other that they did not know existed.
I love that none of these characters were perfect. Everyone had flaws, had a past, and most seemed to be running from something, or themselves.
I loved Maggie, Mary, Bessie, Evaline, Sadie, Winnie, Dora, Penn, Caroline, William, and Joseph. Except for a few sad instances, I feel everyone found their happiness and purpose. The ending was awesome and fitting. I didn’t want it to end.
5/5 stars
Historical Fiction. Starts in February 1852 Chicago, Illinois, the journey ends in September 1852 in California. A wagon train was formed to bring brides to men in California. God fearing, moral men, asking for women who were the same. Many women joined the train, for many different reasons. It brought out the best in them, amazed others with their strength and when they made it – they were famous. The journey wasn’t easy, and all had their secrets. Many were lost along the way, some turned back. This tells the story of a few of the core of the group. It’s very well told, you feel as though you’re travelling with them. I’ve always been fascinated by wagon train stories, have wondered if I would have made it. I’m pretty resourceful, but these ladies paved the way. They were almost all strangers when they started out, but were sisters by the time they survived the trail. There were many hardships that women faced in those days, and unfair treatment by men was accepted at that time. These women proved they didn’t need men, and surprised many. Very good read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#WesteringWomen #NetGalley #SandraDallas
Chicago 1852
Maggie, along with her young daughter, Clara, is considering joining a group of christian women heading to the gold mines in California in search of a husband. The group is being organized by two ministers.
As she tends a meeting where the women are informed about what to expect and how long the trip will take, she watches as other women seem intrigued, but a few leave as it seems too arduous a journey for them. She meets some other women determined to go and makes good friends. Some of the women were looking to flee from abusive husbands and didn’t really care to find another one in California. They just wanted to get away.
When they finally leave, they can only take the barest of necessities with them and they know that they will be walking most of the 2,000 mile journey. The women take care of one another and share in the daily duties.
Along the way they encounter cholera and Indians who try to steal their belongings. The trip and the demands put on them to reach their destination brings out the best of them, and it is not without pain, disappointment. and sorrow. But never second guess the strength of women and especially this band of sisters with their brave determination.
This was a very interesting read and I was amazed at what the women faced all along the way. The descriptions were well written and the wrap-up at the end of the book was an extra treat. Don’t miss this wonderful and historic novel.
Copy provided by NetGalley and Goodreads in exchange for a fair and honest review.
One of my favorite.
Since reading THE DIARY OF MATTIE SPENSER, Sandra Dallas is a perennial favorite of mine and I eagerly await each of her new releases.
“If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?”
So begins WESTERING WOMEN, a sweeping novel of perseverance as a group of desperate women travel west to escape dark secrets in hopes of beginning a new life. Dallas, through her vivid prose and her inimitable gift of creating a luminescent sense of time and place, the reader becomes entrenched in Maggie’s perilous trek along the Overland Trail.
The women, accompanied by two devout preachers, must band together to conquer the brutal elements, nearly impassable terrain, malicious fellow-travelers, and their own self-doubt to escape pasts that creep along behind them along the trail.
WESTERING WOMEN is a testament to the power of friendship, forgiveness, and the discovery of unknown and untapped resilience and strength. This novel will leave the reader bereft for those left behind and cheering for those who survive the journey.
Not my favorite Sandra Dallas book but still really enjoyed it. I loved how the characters developed relationships through their various hardships and joys.
Sandra Dallas captures the rigors and miseries of the California Gold rush trail west, as well as the joys and the accomplishments in this inspiring story of adventure, sisterhood and survival.
3.5 stars
When I read the plotline for Westering Women, I realized that I had read a few books about settlers immigrating to the western half of the country. Just on that, I decided to read Westering Women. While I am glad that I read Westering Women, I felt slightly disappointed by it too.
The plotline for Westering Women was medium paced. I didn’t mind it being medium paced. It was well suited for the book. But, I didn’t like the flow of the book. There were points where it lagged. But the author did a great job of getting the book back on track.
The characters in Westering Women made this book. In an age where women were considered weak, they showed the men exactly what they were made of. I loved it. I also loved the variety of women showcased here. From the preacher’s wife to the former prostitute to the unwed teen mother to the upper-class woman with her servant to the abused wife, they were all showed here. I loved seeing this group of women coming together and supporting each other. Whenever something happened to one of the group, they stood together. It did result in some unusual situations.
I am not sure how realistic life on the trail was portrayed, but it made for an exciting read. The views the men had were correct for the time.
I do want to include a trigger warning with this book. Several scenes put me on edge while reading it. There was a scene where a major character relived abuse, the death of her son, and the rape of her four-year-old daughter. There were several scenes of racism (one of the secondary characters was black). There were two scenes of attempted rape. There was a scene of a brutal fight after one of the women was brutally beaten. There was a scene where a child dies from drowning, and one dies from premature birth. I will admit these did affect my rating for the book.
The end of Westering Women broke my heart. I wasn’t expecting the death of one of the women on the train. I sobbed because that woman was one of my favorites. The epilogue also made me cry. But, at the same time, I was left feeling a little unfulfilled. I know it was because of that death.
“We are a band of sisters.”
Maggie with her young daughter are in Chicago, not knowing what they can do to get away from her abusive husband, when she sees an advertisement for a wagon train heading to California to supply wives to gold miners.
She signs up, using a false name, not knowing if her husband is dead or not. 44 women and 2 ministers start from Missouri heading west on the Overland Trail to California. All of them won’t make it.
They had no idea of the brutal conditions they would face on the trail, this band of women who quickly become like sisters. A prostitute, a wealthy woman, a young black girl, more than one abused woman – they all pull together and find inner depths of strength.
I loved the detailed descriptions of the characters and the settings. There were funny moments and more than one moment to cry.
This was an uplifting book about western expansion in the 1850s and I enjoyed it.
I also was glad that the author didn’t just abruptly end the book but gave an epilogue so the reader gets filled in on later years.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press through Edelweiss and Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
In February 1852, notices are posted all over Chicago: “If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?” It sounds perfect to Maggie, so she and her little girl sign up, along with 43 other women, for the California-bound wagon train led by two ministers. Maggie isn’t looking for a husband, though—she has other reasons for wanting to leave Chicago.
Of all the people traveling together, the main players in the story are a single dozen: Maggie, Mary, Sadie, Bessie, Evaline, Penn, Lavinia, Winny, and Dora, as well as ministers Joseph and William, and William’s wife, Caroline. Other character’s are mentioned in passing when the story demands it, and serve more as window dressing than actual members of the wagon train.
Having skimmed through early reviews posted on Goodreads, it’s clear that I had a markedly different reaction to the story than other readers of this book. As such, the thoughts shared in this review are definitely going to be in the minority—because I didn’t like this book at all.
The beginning was promising enough—what was Maggie so afraid of? Why did she need to leave Chicago? I was eager to find out, but was somewhat surprised that those answers were given in chapter three. So much for milking the suspense, but okay… it created a bond between two of the women, so it served that purpose well. Maggie now has an ally on the wagon train. Let the journey begin! I was excited to see the descriptions of the life on the trail, and felt a sense of trepidation, knowing without the summary telling me so that some of the women weren’t going to make it.
I expected events of epic proportion, with descriptions so vivid as to make me feel I was traveling across endless prairie, mountain, or desert right alongside them. I wanted to feel their hopes and dreams as if they were my own, and have my heart shattered when devastation struck. I wanted to feel their despair when someone was lost, and I wanted to celebrate in the triumph of those who made it.
None of that happened.
Instead of the sweeping saga I expected, I got something more akin to historical fiction lite. All the elements were available, but what could have been grand was a watered down version so simplified as to be completely and utterly boring. The characters were two-dimensional, and even though I wanted to, it was impossible to take them seriously. On three different occasions, things became known about certain travelers that should have gotten them booted from the group immediately; instead, all would be forgiven within moments and the group would keep on traveling. I felt this simply wasn’t believable, given the social mores of the time, and made revelations of those secrets completely pointless. Why did they exist, if there was no price to pay? Drama for drama’s sake?
I’ve spoken before about the importance of being shown something in a story, rather than told, and how—in my opinion—telling can completely ruin a story. She did this, then he did that, so she did something else, and…. no. Just NO. Bring me along with you on a wondrous adventure, don’t just tell me about it.
A story like this inevitably deals with loss of life, and when it’s done well, it has a gut-wrenching impact on the reader. Unfortunately, each death (or dangerous moment, for that matter) was too easily predictable. I had certain members pegged for death practically from the start, and wasn’t surprised when it happened. Certain losses should have felt like a crushing blow, but when the people directly affected by that death essentially shrug their shoulders and move on within a few days… what, I’m supposed to care, when they barely did? And how can I be upset about a dangerous thing happening, when it’s so easily overcome in often-beneficial ways?
The end of the book began with the group days away from the end of their journey, where a predictable thing happened that had an equally predictable result. What remained of the group arrived at their destination, and foreseeable things happened. An epilogue followed, the book finally came to an end, and I deleted it from my Kindle with a sigh of relief that it was over.
Ugh.
I don’t know. A lot of people loved this book, so maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m a historical fiction snob, who has exceedingly high expectations for books in this genre, and I’m too easily dissatisfied when those expectations aren’t met.
Or maybe… it’s not me at all. Maybe I have completely reasonable expectations of quality that simply were not fulfilled in this book. Maybe this book had the potential to be outstanding, and only achieved mediocrity.
Personally, I think it’s the latter.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley.
The adventure begins in the city of Chicago in 1852; and in California, the gold rush is in full swing. Two ministers from Chicago post an advertisement looking for women interested in traveling to the gold fields of California in order to be married. Forty-four women sign on and depart for California on a journey unlike anything they had imagined. The diverse backgrounds and varying skills the women bring along on this 2000 mile venture help them survive snowstorms through the mountains, scorching heat in the deserts, and the death and other hardships they must endure along the way.
Maggie, a young seamstress with a child, and Mary, her older, more capable friend are the core of the group of women who leave their pasts behind and move forward in this extremely unique tale that highlights the pioneering spirit of women in the West. With resilience, courage, ingenuity, and heart, the women manage the journey and discover the bonds of sisterhood are unlike any other they’ve experienced.
The story is a heartwarming and at the same time, sorrowful, tale of the power of friendship, trust, and family. A wonderful read for lovers of historical fiction! I absolutely loved this book; the characters, the sense of camaraderie and adventure, and the unity of the women. Take this perilous trip to the California goldfields with this group of 44 women.
I received this copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. The opinions and statements above are my own.
#WesteringWomen #NetGalley
If you love historical fiction and stories about wagon trains heading west, this is a book you must read. The story starts in 1852 in Chicago when Maggie Kaiser decides it is time to leave her abusive husband Jesse. An advertisement caught her eye for a wagon train heading west to Goosetown, CA for women who were seeking husbands in the California mining town. Maggie and her 4-year-old daughter Clara, who was also abused by Jesse, sign up to go. The wagon train with 40 plus women and 2 ministers heads to California and they face many hardships, sacrifices, losses and tragedies. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this fantastic story in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and/or western adventures.
This was an entertaining story of a group of women who in 1852 Chicago, after having seen postings around the city looking for “eligible women”, to travel to the goldfields of California with the intent of marrying some of the miners. Maggie the main character and her young daughter, signed up for the 2,000 mile journey by wagon train with 43 other women. Led by 2 ministers that had organizing it and a few men to help them out.
The main character Maggie, had a reason she needed to leave Chicago, and the other 43 woman, some wanting husbands but some like her who were also running from secrets, set off on the long hard journey. Along the way the women become very bonded and their stories came out.
This is a story of a group of women who were once not sure they could do it, to becoming a force to be reckoned with.
It was interesting to read about the conditions they had to withstand, from the weather to dealing with people they met along the way. I liked how they always had each others backs.
I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.
Westering Women by Sandra Dallas is an enjoyable historical fiction account of forty-four women, one four year-old girl, and two ministers that undertake the journey from Chicago to Goosetown, California. The women are search for husbands in gold country; or are they?
Sandra Dallas does a great job of painting the picture of both the women as well as the lands and people they encounter along the way. It is 1852 and there are hardships and triumphs along the way as they cross rivers, high plains, mountains and deserts. Who will survive? What are their secrets? Do they find strength or do they falter? Maggie Kaiser is our main character and the author does a great job in developing her character.
The plot was heartbreaking at times and heart warming at other times. The prose was expressive and skilled. Dallas did a great job in researching this era to make it realistic. The story includes the themes of loyalty and friendship as well as suffering and heartbreak.
I recommend this novel to those that enjoy historical fiction.
I won a copy of this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanks to Goodreads, the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and the author, Sandra Dallas, for this opportunity to provide my honest review.