The Memory Weaver tells the story of a child who grows up in the un-civilized west who goes through a traumatic experience which determines how she lives her life and shapes the person she grows up to be.
Eliza Spaulding lives with her parents and family on an American Indian reservation, bring the gospel to the natives. On the whole, the natives are friendly. But then another tribes kills the missionary leaders and kidnaps the children, holding them hostage for a few months.
The story is told from the point of view of Eliza, making her way into adulthood, falling in love, and surviving in the west. Interspersed with her story, are diary entries from her mother, deceased for a few years, explaining the horror that took place at the hands of the natives. Even though at the beginning the details are not clear, the experience beings to paint a clear picture as both stories intertwine.
I was surprised to know that this story is based on true events. Through the trial and diaries of the people involved, much is known of the attacks. However, Jane Kirkpatrick decided that she would write in the point of view of the children involved. Much of her story is supposed but some is not. Kirkpatrick fills in the gaps with extensive research on the subject.
This is an appealing and enjoyable look at this period in history.
The Memory Weaver is available on AMAZON in both regular and ebook formats. Also available on Google Play.
Release date: September 1
Press Summary:
Description
Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now a mother of two, Eliza faces a new kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her mother’s grave–and returning to the land of her captivity.
Haunted by memories and hounded by struggle, Eliza longs to know how her mother dealt with the trauma of their ordeal. As she searches the pages of her mother’s diary, Eliza is stunned to find that her own recollections tell only part of the story.
Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick’s latest literary journey into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman’s heart. Get swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past.
Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling author of twenty-seven books, including A Light in the Wilderness and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her books have been awarded the WILLA Literary Award and Carol Award for Historical Fiction and have been finalists for many others. Jane lives in Central Oregon with her husband, Jerry. Learn more at www.jkbooks.com.
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