“I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear….”
Walt Whitman

Lila’s Journey by Jane Coletti Perry is an engrossing historical novel that takes place in 1860s, Kansas.

Lila Bonner, sixteen, must leave her widowed father out of fear and desperation. She travels by stage coach along the Santa Fe Trail. In Council Grove, Kansas, she manages to find a job at a boarding house which gives her a place to sleep and eat.

John Reynolds has accepted a position as teacher in a new schoolhouse in Council Grove. Lila and John first met in her home town and happen to travel on the same stage to Council Grove. John is enchanted with Lila, but his life becomes complicated when a young woman from his past appears unannounced.

Lila faces many challenges in her new environment, but is determined to make her own way. She bravely deals with mere survival, barely earning enough money to meet basic needs. Life in Council Grove is not easy with Indian unrest and an epidemic, but Lila becomes a part of the community, makes friends, and is thrilled with a promising romance. Her blossoming life is suddenly threatened by an evil betrayal. Will she have the strength to fight this challenge, and does she have to face this fear alone?

Lila’s Journey is a realistic novel of depth. The author’s vivid descriptions of the attitudes and mindset of the times makes the story come to life. I thought Lila’s situation believable—a young woman, sixteen, having to make life-changing decisions. This novel would be of interest to teens and adults.