The Bend in the River: A Novel

by Susan Gibbs, Julie Steiff (Editor), Linda Lindall (Contribution by)

"Orphaned by the sudden deaths of her parents in 1877, seventeen year-old Emma Jorden has to abandon her Kansas home. Lost on the featureless prairie and near death she is rescued by Shea Hawkshadow, a half-breed Cheyenne warrior. Following an impulsive love affair, Emma and Shea marry. When the consequences of their unconventional marriage spark ridicule then quickly escalate to attempted murder, they risk a journey across the western frontier. However, many trials await the couple in their search for a life free from persecution. Emma masks her increasingly fragile emotional state until years of repression exact a dreadful toll. She battles to unearth the innermost causes of her instability hindered by the lack of humane treatment for mental illnesses in the 19th Century. Emma's transformation from a guileless girl into a complex woman with an unflinching will to survive is remarkable and moving. The Bend in the River is an absorbing saga of savagery, love, secrets, and healing. "

Genres: Book Club, Fiction, Historical Romance

444 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

1877 in Kansas, seventeen year old Emma Jorden finds her parents killed by Pawnee. She escapes and tries to walk to a fort. Shea Hawkshadow finds her wandering on the Plains. He takes her to his camp.
Emma is treated well and she falls in love with Shea a mixed -blood and marries him.
Emma is condemned by settlers; so Shea and Emma leave the tribe for the West. Life is better, but in Emma's mind she hasn't come to terms of her parents deaths. Very slowly she begins to heal.
Emma does her best to survive her demons.

[Diana Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good historical read...makes you realize all the hardships that Native Americans had to go through in the past. Happy ending after a lot of sorrow!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A last minute book club switch because the library was given six copies and the book we had scheduled wasn’t available yet through inter-library loan. The description sounded promising and I started out enjoying it enough but soon found it unbelievable. The author seemed to forget what tim period she was writing about and the fact that every man who set eyes on Emma immediately fell head over heels in love with her was too much for me. I finished it but kind of wished I hadn’t.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. Inconsistent and unreal.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with my book club. But for this, I don't read historical romance novels. Because of that, I can't hold it up to others. I liked the story fine. The modern idioms were a distractions. And it had a few departures that would not have been missed (the avalanche, for one). These made the book longer than it needed to be. I like a tight story. Too be fair, if I were a romance reader, I may have rated it higher.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this book is an insightful look into the lives of Native Americans getting shunted to different reservations and the hopelessness of their circumstances. The second half of the book is a out of place in it's discussion on mental health which is totally out of place for the era that the book takes place in. Overall it was an enjoyable tale, but to me the two halves of the book just didn't reconcile.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but for some reason it took me forever to finish it.

[Tomi Alger · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Emma is rescued by Shea, a Cheyenne dog soldier, falls in love with him, and marries him, even though it is a challenging time for the Cheyenne people. They are to move to a specified location with the assistance (or force) of the U.S. government and soldiers. Emma faces many challenges in her life with Shea. Some of the story was realistic, but other parts seemed too far-fetched, as in so many men find her so beautiful and irresistible. It is more a romance than historical fiction.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I selected this book for our book club to read because I love historical fiction. One other lady and I finished it, the rest of the members refused because they disliked it so badly. The story line was great, but the far flung from reality, everyone falls for the main girl, incredulous happenings combined with lack of editing out of certain extraneous parts and juvenile xxx romance details and writing style were a bit off putting. I was disappointed. It would be great to see the story edited a bit more realistically and a lot less Harlequin romance.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the story, but the modern phrases used such as “puke”, and a few others I can’t immediately bring to mind, kind of took away from the writing. I did like that the beginning of the book was tied together in the end so you knew what happened. It could have been done with less pages. Overall, I liked it and wanted to finish it to see how Emma’s story “ended” hoping life got better for her

[Adriana Parrinello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Susan Gibbs at a Writers gathering at the Romeo, MI Public Library. We swapped books and I finally got a chance to sit down and read her book. I was very good, keeping me intrigued and wanting to keep reading. I was moved by the characters sufferings and found myself rooting for her until the end. Susan, congratulations on your novel. I loved it!

[Larissa Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first 3/4 of the book. I was very attached to the characters and felt every emotion possible. The last quarter of the book was a waste in my opinion. Should have ended it with the first part of her life. Or if nothing else, tied the end of the book back into the first part of her life.

[Linda McCune · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very emotional fiction book about a white Girl who marries an Indian in the western frontier. There is a lot of history in this book and a very detailed account of the events mentioned. I really enjoyed the book and became invested in the characters.

[Denise Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story looks at the prejudice that we had towards the Indians in the late 1800's and how poorly we treated them. Also shows that keeping all of your emotions bottled up is not good for your mental health.

[ANNETTE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was gave to me by my neighbor . A historical story with a terrible battle that leaves a mark on a young woman. A good love story all rolled into an extraordinary story. There were a few slow parts towards the end but, over all love triumphs

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story set back when Washington was unsettled across the plains. I was hooked from the first page and became engrossed the more I read. I could not put it down.

[Waneta]

I thought many parts were childish and very presumptive. I did not feel it represented reality.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, weird book club read. Poorly written, all tied up in a too near of bow.

[Sharon Teagarden-king · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually fairly good even if a bit dry

[Chuck Larlham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bend in the River is a good read... even if it is a historical "Old West" romance. I enjoyed the historical adventure for its self. In fact, when my friend gave this book to me, I thought it was a western adventure novel. I've read a few historical romances (when one's wife is ill, one reads what she discards), but mostly English Regency from Barbara Cartland. This romance is set in a time of great tragedy when Native Americans throughout the West were being harried and driven from one temporary reservation to another.

In the midst of all this, Emma Jordan, a seventeen-year-old girl is rescued from freezing to death by a Cheyenne warrior named Shea Hawkshadow, whose blue eyes give away his mixed Cheyenne and white heritage. Their budding trust for each other turns to love, but the romance is almost a side story for the first half of the book. While they love and marry, the trials and tragedies of the Cheyenne in trying to escape the government's casually malicious mistreatment take over the story. The two are separated, but eventually reunite, discovering in the process that a newspaper reporter has made them celebrities.

After a terrible battle with settlers for which Emma blames herself, the pair decide to travel away from where they are known. Both happiness and tragedy overtake them, and eventually Emma succumbs temporarily to despair. After an extended stay in the local hospital, her life changes yet again. There are surprises at the end, and the western adventure becomes a story of the lives of ordinary people living in extraordinary circumstances.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little slow at times, but it picked back up in interest as the book progressed. This book is about the life of one girl who finds herself alone after her family is killed in an indian attack. I won't give anything away but sometimes you wander if you are going to get that happy ending the way most romance-ish books tend to be.

[Vikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story of a white girl at age seventeen whose parents just died. She lived in a soddy in Kansas. She (Emma) was found by a Cheyenne Indian, Shea Hawk Shadow. This is their story. Very good. This is a first book by this author. I noticed it was published by Hawk Shadow Press. I thought that was interesting.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional journey through one woman's life and all the pain and triumph she endures. I laughed, I cried, I spent days absorbed in the beautiful writing and pondering a life in the late 1800s. Marvelous work!

[Colleen Kabat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweeping story taking place in the old West - The main character is so strong and the love story is beautiful!

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review:
http://mostlyfiction.com/west/gibbs.htm