Mary E. Trimble

Karen Wills’ memorable novel, All Too Human: A Saga of Deadly Deceptions and Dark Desires, takes place in 1905, Montana.

Rebecca Bryan is a lawyer in partnership with her beloved Uncle Max. Uncle Max has asked Rebecca to go to the home of an old friend, Lucinda Cale, recently deceased, to locate the woman’s last will and testament and to help Lucinda’s family sort out her estate. Rebecca travels from their home in Kalispell, Montana to Cale’s home, a rustic wilderness hunting lodge near the Montana boomtown of Jennings.

After a harrowing trip in a blizzard, she finally arrives to find a family not necessarily mourning the matriarch as much as one who seems relieved to be without the old woman’s demands. Except for Amy. Lucinda’s thirteen year-old granddaughter was close to her grandmother, but is distant and disdainful to others, especially to Rebecca. Lucinda Cale’s oldest son Damon is friendly to Rebecca and grateful that she would try to help them find his mother’s will. Claudia, Damon’s gentle, pregnant wife, welcomes Rebecca, as does their little son, Teddy. Also with the family is Bretton, Lucinda’s mysterious, moody second son, who is there only for the funeral.

In searching for the will, Rebecca comes across Lucinda’s hidden diaries, journals that cover many years, starting in 1866. They tell of a young woman finding freedom from family scandals and poverty when she marries dashing, wealthy Garrett Cale. She describes their journey from St. Louis to the Northwest mining country in Montana. But the young woman’s life becomes one of physical and emotional abuse and dark deceptions. Lucinda becomes a schemer using her beauty to control those around her, actions that eventually affect her children and grandchildren.

Author Karen Wills captures Montana’s wilderness with breath-taking prose. Her characters are believable in their strengths, weaknesses, vulnerability and violent actions. I thoroughly enjoyed All Too Human.

Book Review: The Reapers’ Song

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Mary

Lauraine Snelling’s novel, The Reapers’ Song, the fourth book of the “Red River of the North” series, takes place in Dakota Territory and covers the period 1885 – 1886.

Blessings, Dakota Territory, is beginning to prosper from the hard work of the Norwegian homesteaders. The railroad helps bring business to the little town, and the surrounding farms are producing crops and livestock.

Ingeborg and Haakan, their children and neighbors, many of whom are relatives, work long, hard hours. Some still live in sod houses; others are fortunate to have wood-framed homes. The stock and harvest must come first, and it is a steady grind to eke out their living.

Haakan and neighboring farmers have managed to acquire a steam engine with a separator to harvest wheat. A team of men take the separator on the road, threshing for other homesteaders in return for a portion of their grain. While the men are gone, their fields remain idle, and Ingeborg worries about all the work to be done before the harsh winter sets in. She decides to take over some of the field work in her husband’s absence. But her plan backfires and causes unimagined pain.

The Blessing community is grounded in deep faith. Without thinking of their own inconvenience, they help neighbors, welcome strangers into their homes, and do whatever is necessary for the good of all.

The author paints vivid pictures of the vast Dakota prairie, the dinginess of a house built of sod, the blessing of a church with a pastor, and the treasure of a school. She skillfully describes clothes, equipment, and attitudes of the period, and shows how faith and dedication help the immigrants thrive. I am enjoying the “Red River of the North” series and look forward to the two remaining books.

Book Review: Tinsmith 1865

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Mary

Sara Dahmen’s historical fiction, Tinsmith 1865, is a skillfully written account of tin and coppersmiths in the years following the Civil War. But more than that, it’s a story of a woman who doesn’t fit into the expected mold of that era.

Marie Kotiarczyk, 18, together with her recently widowed father and two brothers, travel by wagon train from Chicago to Flats Town, Dakota Territory. The Polish immigrant family are tinsmiths. Although Marie is fascinated by their occupation, her place is doing woman’s work. Unfortunately, she is not a good cook, nor does she have interest in any phase of womanly duties. What fascinates Marie is her family’s occupation.

They arrive in Flats Town to a shop her father has previously arranged to rent, a shop that will double as their home. Marie assumes her expected duties, but occasionally tinkers in the family profession. When her brothers join the Army to fight the Indian wars, Marie and her father are devastated. Marie steps in to help with the family business, fulfilling her deep-harbored dream, but also fearing not only failure, but breaking expectations of what a woman should do. When her father is stricken with illness, she must take over to fill the orders.

Marie has many worries. Will the townspeople take her occupation seriously? Her skills are in demand—will she be able to produce a worthy product? Will the cups she produces leak? Will the kitchen utensils she creates be things of beauty? When the Army places a large order, Marie is under pressure to show what she is capable of doing. She must succeed to pay their many debts.

I loved this book. The author portrays complex characters rich with desires and dedication to work. Her characters have scarred and calloused hands with grime under their fingernails; their clothes have holes due to sparks from creating their product. They’re not beautiful people, yet they’re appealing. I particularly appreciated learning about the tin and coppersmith profession. The author speaks with authority on that subject as she works as a metalsmith of vintage and modern cookware of tin, copper and iron.

Tinsmith 1865 is Book 1 of the “Flats Junction Series,” and is also currently in production to become a major motion picture. I’m looking forward to more of this series and to seeing it played out on screen.

Book Review: The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Mary

Nina Romano’s historical novel, The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, takes place in the rugged ranchlands of New Mexico in the mid-1800s. Ever since her mother died, Darby McPhee, 16, has taken care of her father and four brothers. She dreams of doing what her mother wanted for her, to become educated. She has an invitation from her aunt, her mother’s sister, who will pay Darby’s way to St. Louis, Missouri, to live with her and get an education. It’s a dream come true.

Darby has been attracted to shy Cayo Bradley, a cowboy who works on a neighboring ranch. Cayo never says much to her, but his attraction is obvious and Darby yearns to hear the words she knows he wants to say.

Cayo’s real name is Connor Bradley. He was abducted as a child and raised by the Jicarilla Apache Tribe. The story covers his years with the Apaches, how he becomes one of them, learning their ways, using the name they give him, Coyote. He eventually leaves the tribe and finds work as a cowhand on a ranch.

As Darby and Cayo become acquainted, they fall in love. Still, Darby feels compelled to get the education she’s always wanted. Their parting is heart-wrenching, but both feel it’s temporary. In just a few years they can be together forever.

Darby loves school and does well, cramming as much education as she can into her busy schedule, yet always dreaming of returning to Cayo. Cayo, on the other hand, is having a tough time of it. He misses Darby; she’s in his every thought. He’s desperate to be with her. Then uncontrollable circumstances threaten to shatter their dreams.

By using flashbacks to Cayo’s previous life and alternating between the two main characters, the author delivers a fast-paced, heart-rending story with compelling and believable characters. I heartily recommend The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, a story that kept me captivated to the end.

Book Review: Washington Territory’s Grand Lady

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Mary

Washington Territory’s Grand Lady: Matilda (Glover) Koontz Jackson by Julie McDonald Zander is a scholarly non-fiction, well-researched and meticulously documented story of a hard-working early Northwest settler who could be called the “first lady” of Washington State.

Matilda was thirty-seven years old, the mother of four sons and pregnant with her fifth child, when she, her husband Nicholas, and their family journeyed west across the Oregon Trail in 1847. Their destination was Oregon’s fertile farmland in the Willamette Valley. It was a grueling journey, turned tragic when, before her eyes, her husband drowned in the Snake River while trying to free a tangled oxen. The shock of his death sent Matilda into early labor and she lost her infant daughter.

The family, heartsick, plodded on and finally reached Oregon City. Matilda was in a quandary. As a single woman, she couldn’t claim land, and had no means to support her family. Her health was not yet good enough to travel the long road back home to Missouri. In early 1848, Matilda met and married John R. Jackson, an English-born naturalized American. The family traveled north to his log cabin, which he called Highland Farm. The cabin, now preserved, is located in what is now known as Chehalis, Washington. John and Matilda had one son and two daughters, making a total of seven children.

The farm was productive. They raised cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and chickens, and grew many crops. It’s hard to imagine how difficult their life was with no modern conveniences such as running water or electricity, nor automated farm implements. Yet with hard work, they prospered and helped form what became Washington Territory in 1853, and later a state in 1889.

Highland Farm was located midway along the Cowlitz Trail, an important north-south route between Oregon City and Puget Sound. It’s location made the Jackson home an ideal place to stop and rest and to conduct business. Matilda was known as a superb homemaker and travelers were always welcomed. Visitors to their home included Ulysses S. Grant, George McClellan (both of whom would become generals), and Isaac Stevens, the first territorial governor of Washington. John Jackson, Matilda’s husband, in addition to farming, became politically active as the population of the area increased. He served as sheriff, assessor, tax collector, territorial representative and justice of the peace. In all of these roles, Matilda supported his efforts by making their home welcoming and a place to meet.

Washington Territory’s Grand Lady, enriched by pictures, letters, diaries, and ledgers, is a valuable resource of Washington history. Matilda (Glover) Koontz Jackson (1811 – 1901) was indeed a remarkable lady, a dedicated wife and mother, and a person whose courage and hospitality helped shape the State of Washington.

Book Review: Something Worth Doing

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Mary

Jane Kirpatrick’s historical fiction, Something Worth Doing: A Novel of an Early Suffragist, is the story of Abigail Scott Duniway, a woman with a fierce love of justice and liberty for all. For all, including women. The story covers the years 1853 when Abigail was a 19-year-old school teacher to 1912, when Oregon women finally were granted the right to vote.

When Abigail and Ben Duniway were married, she had to give up her teaching job in Oregon Territory and do what women did: perform the drudgery of housework and child-bearing. She resented that a woman’s life was dictated by men, that she was subject to the will of her husband. A woman could keep no income she made for herself should her husband choose to take it, she could not own property, the lives of their children were dictated by their father. Fathers, husbands, even brothers controlled the women in their lives.

Ben Dumiway was a good man and he dearly loved his wife. Although he made the major decisions about their lives, he recognized Abigail’s dreams and desires. When financial mistakes and a serious injury forced Ben to stop working, Abigail became the primary breadwinner for her growing family. Finally, she realized that perhaps there was something she could do for the plight of women, and she devoted her life fighting for the rights of women, including the right to vote.

Abigail and Ben had six children–all born at home. In addition to helping on the farm, she ran a millinery and a private school, wrote novels, gave speeches, and eventually ran a newspaper supporting women’s suffrage. Through it all, Ben was loving and patient with her absences. In one year, she delivered 296 speeches; in her lifetime, more than 1,500.

Disappointments mounted as referendums for the women’s vote were defeated, but Abigail and her fellow workers pressed on, finally succeeding in 1912 when Oregon women finally were granted the right to vote.

The issues presented in Something Worth Doing will resonate with women of today. Many of us can relate to women not receiving equal pay for equal work, and for the prejudice women encounter when competing in a male-dominated world. Multiple award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick has written a passionate story of a pioneer for women’s rights. The life of Abigail Scott Duniway shows that courage and devotion to a cause is worth doing, that it can make a difference.

Book Review—Calamity: A Novel

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Mary

Calamity: A Novel is a work of historical fiction about the well-known western legend, Calamity Jane. Author Libbie Hawker writes about Martha Canary, aka Calamity Jane, in what is no doubt a more accurate portrayal than what was offered in the dime store novels written in Calamity’s own life time (1852 – 1903). The book is a Women Writing the West’s 2020 WILLA Literary Award Finalist.

Calamity Jane tells her story to a writer in a Deadwood saloon. She tells it honestly, without sparing details that taint her own reputation.

Martha Canary was orphaned at the age of twelve, the oldest of six children. Her mother had already died when her father packed up the kids and their few belongings to head west from Missouri. Martha saw her father shot and killed by an unhappy gambler, who also took her father’s winnings. Martha and the two older boys scraped by in the wilderness, caring for their three little sisters, one just a baby, finally stumbling into Salt Lake City, Utah. The siblings were separated then and Martha was on her own to earn a living.

Martha was never a pretty girl, and she was the first to admit it. Legends of the old west talk about her raving beauty and many talents, but in truth she had an ungainly body, tall as a man, with no redeeming features to call herself pretty. But she had many talents, was a successful oxen, mule and horse bullwhacker, and could shoot a pistol or rifle with great accuracy. Her greatest pleasure was to ride alone on a wilderness trail. She endured many hardships, and the disasters and calamities that befell her earned her the name of Calamity Jane.

At times her life ran smoothly, as was the period she spent with Wild Bill Hickok, the love of her life, albeit unrequited. In her later years she appeared in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show performing sharpshooting skills astride a horse.

The author superbly describes the people of the American West and the western landscape as it appeared then. In many respects the story is a sad one, but the author shows Calamity as a woman of courage, endurance, and independence, a woman who could find humor in tight situations.

I thoroughly enjoyed Calamity from beginning to end. It’s a large book, 497 pages in a hardback copy, but it’s a story alive with passion and warmth. I urge anyone who enjoys reading about “the old West” to read this highly entertaining novel.

Book Review: One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Mary

One for the blackbird
One for the crow
One for the cutworm
And one to grow

This traditional proverb is a perfect description of Beulah Bemis’s philosophy of life in Olivia Hawker’s historical novel, One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow. Beulah, the wise, dreamy thirteen year-old daughter of Cora and Ernest Bemis, considers herself as one with the earth and with all that grows there. The novel is a Women Writing the West’s 2020 WILLA Literary Award Finalist.

Wyoming Territory, 1876, can be a dreary place when you have but one neighbor and no other settlers for miles. Ernest Bemis acts on impulse when he finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with neighbor Substance Webber, resulting in one man dead, the other in jail. With her husband in jail, Cora Bemis and her four children are left without a husband and father, and widowed Nettie Mae Webber and Clyde, her only child, are left to manage by themselves.

Clyde, sixteen, doesn’t really grieve the loss of his father. Substance was a mean, harsh man who belittled Clyde’s gentle ways with their livestock. His mother, Nellie Mae, however, bristles with indignity and hate, though not particularly with mourning.

Winter is coming and it’s apparent that the Bemis family isn’t ready. Late crops are yet to be harvested, but the main worry is an adequate wood supply; without it the family will freeze in the harsh Wyoming winter.

Clyde is now the man of the Webber house and he takes this new responsibility seriously. Strong and capable, he tries to do the right thing by helping the Bemis family and tend to his own chores as well. Beulah steps in beside him and the two manage to get through the late harvest and prepare the stock for winter.

As winter bears down, it becomes clear that in order to survive, drastic measures must be taken. How the two families manage in the course of a year, and the surprising strong bond that develops makes One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow a memorable, remarkable novel. The author vividly describes the wild Wyoming landscape down to the tiniest detail. She paints each character with their individual personalities so perfectly I felt I’d know them in passing. I could feel the juxtaposition of love and hate as though it happened in my own family. I highly recommend One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow. It is a novel to cherish.

Book Review: The Glovemaker

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Mary

The Glovemaker:A Novel by Ann Weisgarber is a highly suspenseful novel that takes place in Utah Territories during the winter of 1888. The book is a Women Writing the West’s 2020 WILLA Literary Award Winner.

Samuel Tyler is past due. He left on a business trip and is late returning home. It’s possible that he’s found other out-of-the way customers. As a wheelwright his services are in high demand.

Deborah Tyler is worried about her husband, but common sense tells her that delays are not only possible, but likely. It’s the dead of winter and travel is hard—anything can happen. Deborah adds to the family income by helping her husband in their orchard, and she also makes fine leather gloves. But now all she can think about is her husband’s safety.

The Tylers and seven other families live in Junction, a small Mormon community with homesites scattered along the floor of a canyon. Junction’s citizens don’t believe in plural marriage and have splintered off from other Utah Mormons.

A desperate stranger pursued by a Federal Marshall appears at Deborah’s door asking for shelter for the night. She’s hesitant, but doesn’t feel right about turning him away. She offers the use of her barn for the man and his horse. As she dreads, a Marshal comes in search of the man, catching Deborah in the web of a spiraling chain of events. She learns the man she sheltered is a polygamist and is on the run from the U.S. government, which has ruled the practice of polygamy a felony.

When the Marshal is critically injured, Nels Anderson, Deborah and Samual’s close friend, also becomes involved in the deceit. In trying to do the right thing, they hide crucial evidence.

The Glovemaker is a well-written and thoroughly-documented novel. The village of Junction did exist and its citizens were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints (LDS). The citizens of Junction didn’t conform to the typical LDS beliefs and practices. References are made to the Mormons being driven from one state after another, often burned out of their homes. The incident at Mountain Meadows where Mormon militia in southern Utah seized a wagon train from Arkansas and brutally murdered 120 people was still viewed with bitterness, and troubled both the attackers and victims. Strong feelings prevailed and hiding a Mormon polygamist was a serious crime. The Glovemaker brings these incidents alive, but also vividly describes Deborah’s emotions: her unwavering love for her husband, her fears, and her determination to do the right thing.

Book Review: Bad Land

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Mary

Bad Land: An American Romance by Jonathan Raban, an Englishman who now lives in Seattle, is an intriguing social history of the homesteading movement in eastern Montana in the early 20th century. Seduced by the government’s Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909 granting individuals 320 acres of non-irrigable land, and lured by deceiving colorful brochures published by the railroad, future farmers and ranchers came to Montana to make their fortune, or at least to make a decent living.

Raban follows several families’ stories from when they first arrived with high hopes to how they were often defeated by blistering summers, minus forty-degree winters, and years of drought. Plus, the monotonous, endless prairie was demoralizing to many. Although homesteaders could obtain loans from local banks for expensive machinery, it was soon obvious that the land could not support the crops or livestock needed to repay loans. Some families were resourceful and managed to thrive, but there were few success stories.

I admired Raban’s ability to show the dignity and integrity of the descendants of early homesteaders. Most of them were proud of the accomplishments of their indomitable ancestors who worked hard to provide for their families under unbelievably harsh conditions. But mostly, the homesteaders’ dreams turned sour; there were simply too many hardships to overcome.

Raban also delves into modern day and the rebellious spirit often seen in rural Montana’s anti-government militia movements. These resentments often stem from long-held family beliefs that the government and big business conspired together against the “little folk.” The government made the opportunities by encouraging people to settle the land; the bank profited from farms and ranches being repossessed.

I enjoyed Bad Land and found Raban’s keen observations enlightening and fun to read. In researching the area, the author endured harsh weather, loneliness, and exposing himself as a “greenhorn” in order to delve into the reality of Montana’s “wild west.”