True Sisters
A Novel
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4.1 • 85 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In a novel based on true events, New York Times bestselling author Sandra Dallas delivers the story of four women---seeking the promise of salvation and prosperity in a new land---who come together on a harrowing journey.
In 1856, Mormon converts, encouraged by Brigham Young himself, and outfitted with two-wheeled handcarts, set out on foot from Iowa City to Salt Lake City, the promised land. The Martin Handcart Company, a ragtag group of weary families headed for Zion, is the last to leave on this 1,300-mile journey. Three companies that left earlier in the year have completed their trek successfully, but for the Martin Company the trip proves disastrous. True Sisters tells the story of four women from the British Isles traveling in this group. Four women whose lives will become inextricably linked as they endure unimaginable hardships, each one testing the boundaries of her faith and learning the true meaning of survival and friendship along the way.
There's Nannie, who is traveling with her sister and brother-in-law after being abandoned on her wedding day.
There's Louisa, who's married to an overbearing church leader who she believes speaks for God.
There's Jessie, who's traveling with her brothers, each one of them dreaming of the farm they will have in Zion.
And finally, there's Anne, who hasn't converted to Mormonism but who has no choice but to follow her husband since he has sold everything to make the trek to Utah.
Sandra Dallas has once again written a moving portrait of women surviving the unimaginable through the ties of female friendship. Her rich storytelling will leave you breathless as you take this trip with Nannie, Louisa, Jessie, and Anne. This is Sandra Dallas at her absolute best.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Mormon history, any mention of the Martin handcart company is almost invariably accompanied by the term "ill-fated," as befits one of pioneer history's most tragic blunders. In 1856, an immigrant band, hampered by poorly constructed handcarts and a late start to its 1,300-mile westward trek, was caught in a terrible blizzard in Wyoming that claimed the lives (or the fingers and toes) of scores of Mormon converts. Dallas (The Bride's House; Prayers for Sale) tells the story of the Martin Handcart Company through the eyes of several fictional women characters, who come to life in the author's imagination as real flesh-and-blood participants. Although the first half moves slowly, Dallas's character exposition is strong, and the latter half becomes more gripping as the catastrophe unfolds. One shortcoming is the novel's sometimes one-dimensional male characters, who are pompous, selfish, or weak. But the focus is on strong women and the beautiful relationships they can create even in impossible circumstances. As such, this is a memorable story.
Customer Reviews
Good but not great
I became a fan of Sandra Dallas after finding "The Persian Pickle Club" at a yard sale, and I've devoured everything since. It's more like "Whiter Than Snow" than say "Alice's Tulips" in that it is an intertwining tale that tells the mixed fates of its central characters. I liked "Snow" for its great storytelling and charaters, but I found it a little flat emotionally, and I think the same goes for this book. The tales of the LDS pioneer women are told with sympathy and non-judgment, but it is also kind of dispassionate as a result. People die, and it just kind of...happens. That may well be the point in a book about the trials of pioneer life; people died and they had to move on, literally and figuratively, with no time to grieve. But it made for a very dry-eyed read, and that's not really what I want in a book like this. Good story, but it left me a bit cold.