Letters to Callie

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 30, 2001

Set in 1864, this accomplished sequel to The Journal of Callie Wadeis another rewarding tale of the Old West. The novel opens five years after the dramatic ending of the first book, when Jack Ward, still haunted by the untimely death of his little sister Rose during his family's trek West, is attempting to make a new life in Virginia City, Mont. Miller renders a sensitive portrait of Jack, a family man turned gambler who struggles to make the best of his lonely existence. While the novel offers all the trappings of a conventional western romance, including saloon girls with hearts of gold and hard-drinking miners, Miller adds a dimension by conveying the situations of families torn apart by the perils of the pioneer experience and by the distances that often loomed between them in the vast western territories. Jack's letters to his sister Callie reveal his preoccupation with death; his feelings for Lillie, a beautiful card dealer at the Pair O' Dice saloon; the gradual peace he discovers through his marriage to a Blackfoot woman, Raven; and his relationships with several members of the Native American nation. Interesting details about Blackfoot tradition indicate fine research. While several plot twists are predictable, the gradual restoration of Jack's self-respect provides an emotionally satisfying drama.