The Memory Weaver
A Novel
-
-
4.2 • 10 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now the young mother of two children, Eliza faces a different kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants them to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her departed mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Eliza longs to know how her mother, an early missionary to the Nez Perce Indians, dealt with the challenges of life with a sometimes difficult husband and with her daughter's captivity.
When Eliza is finally given her mother's diary, she is stunned to find that her own memories are not necessarily the whole story of what happened. Can she lay the dark past to rest and move on? Or will her childhood memories always hold her hostage?
Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick's latest literary journey into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman's heart. Readers will find themselves swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kirkpatrick (A Sweetness to the Soul) fictionalizes events surrounding the Whitman Massacre of 1847 in the Oregon territory through the voices of Eliza Spalding Warren and her mother Eliza Hart Spalding, wife of missionary Henry Spalding. The younger Eliza, at 10 years old, was among hostages held by members of the Cayuse Indian tribe captured after a Cayuse raid on Marcus Whitman's Waiilatpu mission. Told through journal entries, the mother's story vividly depicts an arduous life on the western frontier. While Kirkpatrick briefly describes the brutalities of the murders and subsequent standoff, the story is primarily about the personal relationships. Pushed by her father's demands, Eliza marries a man with his own dark past and gives birth to her first child before turning 19. The men here all have strong character flaws; the women, on the other hand, are stalwart and wise, and Kirkpatrick brings their abilities to the forefront of the story. Kirkpatrick provides empathetic characters and historical elements that ring with accuracy. This is a fine interpretation of a little-known group of pioneering Christians.
Customer Reviews
This is an interesting historical novel.
This is the first book I have ever read by Jan Kirkpatrick. I really liked the character development in this book. I also enjoyed the fact that as the story progressed many of the characters matured in how they handled things that came up.
It was a great look at how childhood trauma can affect a person for years to come. It was a little bit of a revelation to see how simple things were able to cause flashbacks.
I had a little bit of trouble with how short segments of Eliza Spalding’s (the mother) diary were inserted. I didn’t see any reference as to someone reading the diary to explain their presence in the story. Each time that I came to one of them I had to stop and remind myself of the connection before I could read it. This was the only real disadvantage for me but it is the reason that I have chosen to give this book only 4 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.