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Planting Dreams #1
Planting Dreams: A Swedish Immigrant's Journey to America
Subtitle: A Swedish Immigrant's Journey to America, 1868-1869
Planting Dreams Series, Book 1
Drought has scorched the farmland of Sweden and there is no harvest to feed families or livestock. Taxes are due and there is little money to pay them.
But there is a ship sailing for America, where the government is giving land to anyone who wants to claim a homestead.
So begins the migration out of Sweden to a new life on the Great Plains of America.
Can you imagine starting a journey to an unknown country, not knowing what the country would be like, where you would live, or how you would survive? Did you make the right decision to leave in the first place?
This first book in the Planting Dreams series portrays Swedish immigrant Charlotte Jonson as she ponders these questions about her journey and her family’ future in a new country.
Follow charlotte and her family as they travel by ship and rail from their homeland in 1868, to their homestead on the open plains of Kansas.
Planting Dreams Series, Book 1
Drought has scorched the farmland of Sweden and there is no harvest to feed families or livestock. Taxes are due and there is little money to pay them.
But there is a ship sailing for America, where the government is giving land to anyone who wants to claim a homestead.
So begins the migration out of Sweden to a new life on the Great Plains of America.
Can you imagine starting a journey to an unknown country, not knowing what the country would be like, where you would live, or how you would survive? Did you make the right decision to leave in the first place?
This first book in the Planting Dreams series portrays Swedish immigrant Charlotte Jonson as she ponders these questions about her journey and her family’ future in a new country.
Follow charlotte and her family as they travel by ship and rail from their homeland in 1868, to their homestead on the open plains of Kansas.
126 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
51 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Linda K. Hubalek
115 books275 followersLinda Hubalek had written over fifty books about strong women and honorable men, with a touch of humor, despair, and drama woven into the stories. The setting for all the series is the Kansas prairie which Linda enjoys daily, be it being outside or looking out her office window.
Her historical romance series include Brides with Grit, Grooms with Honor, Mismatched Mail-order Brides, Rancher's Word, and the Clear Creek Legacy. Linda's historical fiction series, based on her ancestors' pioneer lives include, Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread, and Planting Dreams.
When not writing, Linda is reading (usually with dark chocolate within reach), gardening (channeling her degree in Horticulture), or traveling with her husband to explore the world.
Linda loves to hear from her readers and loves to know what they'd like to see her write next. Visit her website at www.LindaHubalek.com to contact her or read about all her books.
www.Facebook.com/lindahubalekbooks
Her historical romance series include Brides with Grit, Grooms with Honor, Mismatched Mail-order Brides, Rancher's Word, and the Clear Creek Legacy. Linda's historical fiction series, based on her ancestors' pioneer lives include, Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread, and Planting Dreams.
When not writing, Linda is reading (usually with dark chocolate within reach), gardening (channeling her degree in Horticulture), or traveling with her husband to explore the world.
Linda loves to hear from her readers and loves to know what they'd like to see her write next. Visit her website at www.LindaHubalek.com to contact her or read about all her books.
www.Facebook.com/lindahubalekbooks
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 30, 2014
I thought this was a very insightful look into how our ancestors grappled with heavy decisions.
Why they would leave their own country has always interested me. I've often wondered why my own ancestors came to America. Many immigrants didn't she move and stay in one place like the Johnson family did, although they do stay for one year in a rental farm. Once in Kansas they stayed put.
Many other immigrants did not and moved many times. Although this is not a long book (wish it were)
it is well written with much pathos packed into it's three hours and 5 minutes. Ann M. Richardson narrates and does an exceptional job with her lovely voice expressing all the fears and hopes that come from Charlotta Johnson. If you like genealogy or history, or both, this is an five star book that will please you.
March 19, 2014
Hubalek carefully and faithfully describes every step of the journey for the Johnson family. She begins with the very decision to leave their home, weighing the possibility of prosperity in a new land with the likelihood of starvation after another meager harvest in Sweden. Then it’s a wagon ride to the nearest harbor with all of their possessions, or at least everything they could reasonably carry with them. Boarding the ship reminded me a little of the story of the Titanic: wealthy passengers on the upper decks and the poor, steerage class down in the bottom. The long boat ride brings them finally to the shores of America and Ellis Island, where they soon learn to protect their money very carefully. A train-ride to Chicago, then another into rural Illinois, brings them at last to their destination.
The hope of the Johnson family as they travel is contagious and I can’t help but wish the best for them on their journey. They fully expect to become wealthy landowners in America. This is partly due to the rumors and stories they heard, but is also based on what they see with their own eyes as they travel west from New York: large farms with neat houses, healthy looking livestock, and expensive machinery to make the work simpler. The Johnson’s are fairly bursting with the desire to reach their new farm and get started and I shared in their enthusiasm. It takes a special kind of writer to illicit that kind of response from a reader I think. Hubalek did a nice job of researching the material and an even nicer job of expressing it in human terms.
Read the full review at Audiobook-Heaven
The hope of the Johnson family as they travel is contagious and I can’t help but wish the best for them on their journey. They fully expect to become wealthy landowners in America. This is partly due to the rumors and stories they heard, but is also based on what they see with their own eyes as they travel west from New York: large farms with neat houses, healthy looking livestock, and expensive machinery to make the work simpler. The Johnson’s are fairly bursting with the desire to reach their new farm and get started and I shared in their enthusiasm. It takes a special kind of writer to illicit that kind of response from a reader I think. Hubalek did a nice job of researching the material and an even nicer job of expressing it in human terms.
Read the full review at Audiobook-Heaven
March 29, 2024
This book along with another one titled Butter In the Well were two books that we found in a free library rotation out in the country. As such since I wasn't reading them first and due to the similarity of the cover I thought the book was part of the same trilogy, especially as I was ordering the sequel for this book. Unfortunately about two days ago I found out that wasn't the case.
Both books follow in the same guideline that the author is using actual Swedish female homesteaders as characters in a fictionalized telling of what their experiences may have been with some inclusion of actual events or stories that have been passed down from the older generations. Both of these women also were from the same general homesteading area Kansas thus sharing in church fellowship at one point while the reader can find the protagonist from Planting Dreams and Cultivating Hope mentioned unfortunately in one of the entries from Butter In the Well.
Since of the ethnic background of these women and the influence that it had on the land they settled, Linda Hubalek does loosely use actual Swedish words throughout the telling of these stories. As a result for those who are interested in learning more there is included in the back a Glossary that provides these words in Swedish and a definition of what is meant by them.
Furthermore sprinkled throughout the books the reader will find black-and-white photographs of various events or even maps so they have a general idea of what is occurring. One thing I do have to give credit for, though, is the fact that the Planting Dreams series does list down the family members and important dates so you can keep everyone pretty much well-organized while Butter In the Well doesn't although it does include a few recipes.
The differences between the two books is the narration style and the origination. In Planting Dreams, the reader is taken back to Sweden where the decision is being made to pack the whole family up, what it took to pack for a journey in which they may never come back and what it took to get from Sweden to Illinois and then eventually Kansas. Furthermore the reader is given a chance to follow the protagonist's journey as she first sets out on her homesteading journey thus making the book to cover only the years 1868-1869.
Meanwhile in Butter In the Well, readers are introduced to Kajsa Swenson Runneberg and basically her just starting out family. At the time of the start of the book, the Swensons have already left Sweden and Illinois thus there was a note that provided the basics of what readers will find in Planting Dreams on the reasons for them leaving the homeland. Unlike the other series, Butter In the Well explores the whole timeframe when Kajsa was homesteading, which is from 1868-1888 or two years more since the closing date for the sequel of Planting Dreams thus the one book covers two of the other series.
The writing of Planting Dreams is told in a story format while the sequel Cultivating Hope are a collection of brief yet vital episodes taken from various seasons and years while Butter In the Well is told in a diary-like format. Since these three books basically are on average anywhere from 90-something pages to 122 they are definitely not thorough on all the details but the reader still gets the gist of what life was life and all its emotional rollercoastering as these people lived it.
All in all if you are the type who likes the story of homesteaders, especially ones that are more local to your location, then you may definitely find yourself a fan of these books, especially if you are looking for quick reads.
Both books follow in the same guideline that the author is using actual Swedish female homesteaders as characters in a fictionalized telling of what their experiences may have been with some inclusion of actual events or stories that have been passed down from the older generations. Both of these women also were from the same general homesteading area Kansas thus sharing in church fellowship at one point while the reader can find the protagonist from Planting Dreams and Cultivating Hope mentioned unfortunately in one of the entries from Butter In the Well.
Since of the ethnic background of these women and the influence that it had on the land they settled, Linda Hubalek does loosely use actual Swedish words throughout the telling of these stories. As a result for those who are interested in learning more there is included in the back a Glossary that provides these words in Swedish and a definition of what is meant by them.
Furthermore sprinkled throughout the books the reader will find black-and-white photographs of various events or even maps so they have a general idea of what is occurring. One thing I do have to give credit for, though, is the fact that the Planting Dreams series does list down the family members and important dates so you can keep everyone pretty much well-organized while Butter In the Well doesn't although it does include a few recipes.
The differences between the two books is the narration style and the origination. In Planting Dreams, the reader is taken back to Sweden where the decision is being made to pack the whole family up, what it took to pack for a journey in which they may never come back and what it took to get from Sweden to Illinois and then eventually Kansas. Furthermore the reader is given a chance to follow the protagonist's journey as she first sets out on her homesteading journey thus making the book to cover only the years 1868-1869.
Meanwhile in Butter In the Well, readers are introduced to Kajsa Swenson Runneberg and basically her just starting out family. At the time of the start of the book, the Swensons have already left Sweden and Illinois thus there was a note that provided the basics of what readers will find in Planting Dreams on the reasons for them leaving the homeland. Unlike the other series, Butter In the Well explores the whole timeframe when Kajsa was homesteading, which is from 1868-1888 or two years more since the closing date for the sequel of Planting Dreams thus the one book covers two of the other series.
The writing of Planting Dreams is told in a story format while the sequel Cultivating Hope are a collection of brief yet vital episodes taken from various seasons and years while Butter In the Well is told in a diary-like format. Since these three books basically are on average anywhere from 90-something pages to 122 they are definitely not thorough on all the details but the reader still gets the gist of what life was life and all its emotional rollercoastering as these people lived it.
All in all if you are the type who likes the story of homesteaders, especially ones that are more local to your location, then you may definitely find yourself a fan of these books, especially if you are looking for quick reads.
January 25, 2019
This is the first book in the Planting Dreams series, where a young Swedish family leaves Sweden in 1868 and moves to America. This book recounts their journey by ship from Sweden to England to New York, and then by rail, first to Illinois for one year, and then to Kansas, where they obtained free land to homestead. I had previously read the 2nd book in the series, which tells of their hardships in starting farming in Kansas, living in a dugout until they could afford to build a small house, and raising their large family. The books would be better read in order, but they do stand alone also. The 3rd book in the series recounts their later life, and I'm looking forward to that one. Love the series for the graphic depiction of life on the prairie -- the author is really good at describing what daily life was like for these stalwart pioneers. The books are short but packed with information about that period in time.
June 16, 2016
This was a 'meh' for me. First of all, I would call this more of a novella than a book. Very short. I have the others in the series already on Kindle, so I will read them... but I would not have made a special effort to get them had I not. As a descendant of Swedish immigrants, I was hoping for more 'meat', if you will. I am hoping the second book will be better... there were way too many paragraphs in this one that consisted only of questions. I found it irritating.
June 9, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much and can't wait to begin book 2. My grandfather came from Sweden during this time period, went to Illinois first but settled in Minnesota. I totally related this story to my family. Thank you!
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March 12, 2009JF-YAHub
November 4, 2018
Fascinating read as I have family from Sweden. Definitely worth the read.
September 21, 2019
Planting Dreams by Linda Hubalek
Sep 12, 2019
5 stars
What a wonderful way to experience the settling of the American West by immigrants! This family from Sweden could be my own ancestors! My mother's family came from Hungary, Sweden, Norway, and Yugoslavia! They too settled in Illinois! This book makes me want to research my own family! I hope it inspires you too!
Sep 12, 2019
5 stars
What a wonderful way to experience the settling of the American West by immigrants! This family from Sweden could be my own ancestors! My mother's family came from Hungary, Sweden, Norway, and Yugoslavia! They too settled in Illinois! This book makes me want to research my own family! I hope it inspires you too!
December 17, 2015
Planting Dreams is another book by Linda K. Hubalek. Although this book is a work of fiction, it is based on the life of a real person. It portrays the author's great-great grandmother, Charlotta Johnson. It follows Charlotta and her family as they travel by ship and rail from Sweden in 1868 to their homestead on the open plains of Kansas ear later. Although they had planned to live in Illinois, they discovered all the land had already been claimed there so after a year of working as tenant farmers, they decided to move on to Kansas where land was still available and where many other Swedish families were also settling. When they arrive in Kansas, they are on land with no trees and no water source above ground. They don't even have an animal to pull a wagon and all their possessions are in a trunk and a chest. Hubalek has woven a story of how it must have been for Charlotta, her husband Samuel and their 2 children Oscar and Emily, written from Charlotta's viewpoint. Once again, I found her writing style easy to read but highly interesting as well. She really brings to life the incredible hardships the pioneers faced and the amazing courage they demonstrated. This is a short book but a fascinating read!
February 13, 2015
I was given a copy to review of Book 1 in the Planting Dreams Series by Linda K Hubalek. My parents families came from Kansas and I was interested in learning her perspective on the Kansas plains in the 1860's. I have been researching the same areas for many months putting together the details of our family to do something like she has done. I just hope I'm able to do it anywhere near as well.
This historical fiction trilogy is well written, full of facts, and her research into the period wonderful. What I enjoyed the most was the method of the storyteller. I could visualize every bit of the Kansas farmlands, her home, her neighbors, and her life.
The only negative - you really need to start at book one and read all three. I don't believe Book 3 would have the meaning it did without the rest of the story.
4 Stars
This historical fiction trilogy is well written, full of facts, and her research into the period wonderful. What I enjoyed the most was the method of the storyteller. I could visualize every bit of the Kansas farmlands, her home, her neighbors, and her life.
The only negative - you really need to start at book one and read all three. I don't believe Book 3 would have the meaning it did without the rest of the story.
4 Stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews