Westering Women

by Sandra Dallas

• ISBN10: 1250239664
• ISBN13: 9781250239662
• Publish Date: 7 January 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 September 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Narrated by Angela Dawe, our tale begins in Chicago, 1852. It’s a dark time for Maggie and her young daughter. It’s also when she spies a flyer soliciting “eligible women” to travel to the gold mining town of Goosetown, California; where hundreds of men are need of wives.

From the start, we know Maggie is hiding a terrible secret, but she meets another woman named Mary who vouches for her and they join forty-two other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west.

The story that unfolds is wonderfully told. Maggie and Mary were the main characters but before the journey ends we learn about others from their strengths to weaknesses. They will travel prairies, cross rivers, face attacks, bake in the desert and bury their dead. While religion flows throughout the story, it wasn’t preachy and felt natural with the story. Not all the women were devout.

It isn’t an easy story, and indeed at times, I wept like a baby even as I cheered and whooped at their successes. I will warn you there are triggers. View Spoiler » These women made this journey for reasons beyond that of just seeking a husband. While it was not overly graphic, the author didn’t shy away from the dangers and truths these women faced.

Dallas sheds light on the gold rush, and the perils young women faced during this time period. We got to know key characters and learn their stories as they learned to drive oxen, sacrifice, arm themselves, and work together to survive.

The story was wonderful on audiobook, thanks to Angel Dawe who gave the character’s voice. If you enjoy audiobooks, I recommend this format. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[chymerra]

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.