Prairie Widow

by Harold Bakst

A story of the persistence and courage that turned the American frontier into a civilization follows Jennifer Vandermeer as she treks with her husband from the settled East to the wild West

Hardcover

First published November 6, 1992

Reviews

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your typical frontier novel. Jennifer reluctantly moves to frontier Kansas with her husband, Walter, and their two children. She is so angry about having to move there that when they arrive, she refuses to get out of the wagon to see what their new land looks like. Her husband builds her a sod dugout, digs a well, but unfortunately, dies right after that and Jennifer is stuck in this place that she hates. She immediately plans to head back to Ohio but some of the neighbors persuade her to stay on. Each chapter after that is vivid with another plague that affects the community from a lengthy winter that rivals those in northwest Minnesota where I live to fires to grasshoppers. But like Mitch McConnell said of Elizabeth Warren, "Nevertheless, she persisted." The book brings out the hardships of frontier life well, but is told from a woman's point of view.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this is certainly a well written book, I didn't care for any of the characters at all. I know I was supposed to be rooting for Jenny to survive and become a real prarie woman but I found myself not caring what she did. I didn't like her or her attitude and none of the other characters made me like them much either.

This book just wasn't for me at all.

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book-it was short and well-written.
One night as I was reading the wind at home was
howling and I thought about how hard it was for
the widow to live on the prairie with a non-stop
wind!

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific, quick read, very descriptive, lets you feel what it's like on the prairie--and I could identify with the main character, who was a woman. I could see myself in her place easily. She's in a strange land for her. I still remember some images (the cold, wolves...))