I loved every minute of Where the Lost Wander. It was so hard to put down. The writing was incredible and the story was inspiring, touching and so real. Amy Harmon put this story to paper and made it so believable in only the way she could. This was the second book that I have read by Amy Harmon. I also loved What the Wind Knows. Where the Lost Wander was a beautiful historical romance that left me feeling more than satisfied and even drained as I made my way through the pages of this story. When I first saw the cover, I thought that this would be a western type of book and not one that I would enjoy reading. I was so wrong. This was one of the best books I have read this year.
My genre of choice is usually historical fiction. If I discovered that the story turned out to be inspired by the true events of an actual family member, that book usually became even more meaningful to me. Amy Harmon shared some facts about certain characters in Where the Lost Wander at the conclusion of her book. She acknowledged that some characters in the story actually existed and some were based on actual relatives from her husband’s side of the family. That information made the book even more fascinating for me. She also shared that she was able to read journals that one of her husband’s relatives kept on his many journeys across the Oregon trial. She used some of the information recorded in those journals to describe the many hardships the emigrants faced on their long, grueling and dangerous journeys, thus making their hardships even more realistic. Although some of the characters were fictionalized, some of the characters really existed and some were directly connected to her husband’s family history. This knowledge made their plight across the dangerous terrain to California even more realistic and believable for me.
In the preface of Where the Lost Wander the May family was introduced. They were headed west, to California, in search of a better life. It was 1853, and the father, William, the mother, Winifred, Will, Warren and Webb, Naomi’s brothers, Naomi and baby Wolfe, born along the way, along with several other families were brutally attacked by Indians leaving lots of dead bodies including Naomi’s mother and father. Naomi and baby Wolfe were taken by force by the Indians that attacked their camp. From that point on the story reverted back to the beginning of the journey out west.
John and Naomi were definitely my favorite characters in this book. Both were innocent and yet wise beyond their years. There was an immediate attraction that drew them to each other. John was born to a Pawnee mother and a white father. He therefore earned the name two feet, not quite all Indian but not quite all white man. John had a foot in each world and that made life a little more difficult for him. Naomi had become a widow at the young age of 20. She was more a dreamer but knew what she wanted. Naomi was a talented artist and that would come to serve her well throughout the story. She had difficulty holding words back. Naomi spoke what she thought. Both John and Naomi had feelings for each other but were reluctant to act on their desires. Their relationship grew slowly but their feelings for each other were strong and could not be denied.
The hardships the travelers on the wagon train faced on their way to California were extreme and difficult. Amy Harmon’s descriptive prose made you feel like you were on the trail with the emigrants. She described in vivid detail the consequences the travelers faced on their journey west. Perhaps the biggest danger the travelers faced was being attacked by Indians. From drinking dirty water and becoming sick with Cholera to birthing babies on the trail to wagons breaking down or being swept away in trying to cross the rivers and being swept up in the currents Amy Harmon’s words brought those scenes to life and made them so believable.
I experienced so many different emotions while reading this book. It focused on love, family, resilience, sadness, loss, forgiveness, loyalty, and so much more. I cried, smiled, cheered, held my breath in anticipation, hoped, sighed and let out a big breath that I was unaware I was holding. Amy Harmon is one of the most talented authors of our time, in my opinion. I hope to find time this summer to read some of earlier books. She just has the talent and knack to bring stories to life. I highly recommend this book.
- Goodreads rating – 4.39
- REVIEW – Marilyn