Review: A Flickering Light

My wife and I have been fans of Jane Kirkpatrick for a couple years now, and we eagerly anticipate the new books as they come. A Flickering Light certainly lives up to Jane's reputation.

This story is about a young woman in the Midwest who dreams of being a photographer, despite the field being very male-dominated. She realizes her dream, but at the risk of her honor and his family.

I found myself fussing aloud at and about the characters, which never happens as I read a book. Of course, I knew that the characters were based on real people and only realized after I was done that Jessie was actually Jane's grandmother.

This story really draws you in and gets you involved with the characters, as is the case with all of Jane's stories. It will make an excellent addition to the Jane Kirkpatrick section of your personal library.



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Summary:

Returning to her Midwest roots, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick draws a page from her grandmother’s photo album to capture the interplay between shadow and light, temptation and faith that marks a woman’s pursuit of her dreams. She took exquisite photographs, but her heart was the true image exposed.

Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.

With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man’s profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer.

This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing—and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on.

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Author Bio:

Jane Kirkpatrick is a best-selling, award-winning author whose previous historical novels include All Together in One Place and Christy Award finalist A Tendering in the Storm. An international keynote speaker, she has earned regional and national recognition for her stories based on the lives of actual people, including the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Hall of Fame. Jane is a Wisconsin native who since 1974 has lived in Eastern Oregon, where she and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 rugged acres.

Review: A Mending at the Edge

Have you ever finished a book and realized that you had been so immersed that it felt like you were reluctantly saying good-bye to the characters? In her Author's Notes at the conclusion of her latest book, Oregon writer Jane Kirkpatrick says something similar about one of her characters. After reading the book, I fully understand why.

A Mending at the Edge is the third and final installment in the Change and Cherish Historical Series, a trilogy that shares a fictionalized account of the historical figure Emma Wagner Giesy. Once again, Mrs. Kirkpatrick has done meticulous and extensive research and has masterfully amplified history with infusions of fiction. The end result is a teacher's dream: history comes alive and is truly meaningful to the reader.

The story starts where the last book (A Tendering In the Storm, reviewed here) left off. Frau Giesy has grudgingly accepted the help of the Aurora Colony and the colony's spiritual leader, Herr Doctor William Keil. Over the course of the story, her grudging acceptance transforms into loving Christian servanthood and the mature understanding that God knows better than any human ever could.

In addition to making history accessible and appealing to the reader, Mrs. Kirkpatrick shows us through Frau Giesy that following the Word of the LORD is much more important than following the pressures of those around us.

This book will take its place on our bookshelf next to the other books from the series, but I doubt they'll sit unread for long.

A synopsis of the history of the Aurora Colony can be found here.

Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and fourteen historical novels, including the popular Kinship and Courage series. Her award-winning writing has appeared in more than fifty publications, including Sports Afield and Decision. She’s won the coveted Western Heritage Wrangler Award, an honor shared by such writers as Larry McMurtry and Barbara Kingsolver. Jane is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an internationally recognized speaker. She and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 acres in eastern Oregon.

A Tendering in the Storm

I am currently reading Jane Kirkpatrick's A Tendering in the Storm. The story is written from the perspectives of two main characters: Emma Giesy and Loisa Keil.

Originally part of the same close-knit religious community, these two German women have traveled across the rugged Oregon trail arriving in the Northwest in the mid 1850's. But their paths have taken them in different directions. [Read A Clearing in the Wild, book one in the Change and Cherish series, to find out what divides the flock.]

Louisa and her husband, leader of the community, continue on to settle in the Aurora Mills area, near present day Portland, Oregon. Louisa is struggling to put the death of her son into the context of her life. He lives on in her, and she now seeks to understand what sin she committed to warrant his death. Her very nature is absolute submission to her husband.

Emma Giesy, remains in Willapa--Washington territory--with her husband and small family. She desires the freedom to speak her mind, explore the wisdom she feels brimming inside and to live independently, at least a little, from the religious family that surrounds her. She dares to believe women are more than quiet servants to their men, and hopes that they may even be equal in the eyes of the Lord.

The novel is based on a true story; filled with historical detail and vivid true-to-life characters. The women come alive, as you walk alongside their exploration of fear, vulnerability and strength. Mrs. Kirkpatrick weaves the natural beauty and spirit of the Northwest into every chapter. Words and images (oystering, the ocean, the swaying lantern to name a few) are chosen with a deftness that conveys the import of the landscape on the lives of these women.

Emma Giesy explains about the inner strength of a woman: "It's something I've learned about myself since coming here. What we can do on the inside isn't always reflected by what's on the outside."

"Sounds like an oyster shell..." Her friend Mary replied.

As I continue to read, I expect that we will see more of what Emma, and Louisa for that matter, are really made of--on the inside.


Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and twelve historical novels, including A Clearing in the Wild and the acclaimed Kinship and Courage series. Her award-winning essays and articles have appeared in more than fifty publications, including Daily Guideposts and Decision. A winner of the coveted Western Heritage Wrangler Award, Jane is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an internationally recognized speaker and inspirational retreat leader. She and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 acres in eastern Oregon.

Jane Kirkpatrick: Change and Cherish Series

Jane Kirkpatrick's newest book, A Tendering in the Storm was released earlier this Spring. My husband and I are taking turns with the book, as I will be writing a review to be published on this blog sometime around August 6th.

After attending an author event at Paulina Springs Bookstore earlier this week, we realized we needed to get reading. Mrs. Kirkpatrick signed books and spoke about writing, "first baskets" and coping saws. She never fails to leave her audience with tidbits of faith and encouragement to live strong in the Lord.

Mrs. Kirkpatrick is an award winning author, with at least fifteen titles to her name. She writes Historical fiction filled with faith and often based on the lives of real people. I am impressed with the open friendliness Mrs. Kirkpatrick displays when speaking to her fans. After seeing her in person, you feel that she has opened up her personal world and let you in, a bit like visiting with an old friend over a cup of tea.

The Paulina Springs Bookstore is located in historic Sisters, OR. If you are not familiar with Sisters, it is famous for PRCA Pro Rodeo events and the annual Quilt show. The Rodeo was in June, and the quilt show is in full swing this weekend. If you are passing through Central Oregon plan to either join the fun or avoid Sisters entirely because main street will be impassable today.

The Old Homestead

My husband and I have been reading Jane Kirkpatrick's Homestead. The true story follows Jane Kirkpatrick and her husband as they face the challenges of building a home along the John Day river in the early to mid-1980s.

In our free time we are searching for a home of our own. Currently we rent. We have dreams of a home with an office (for my writing), a large yard for kids to play, and a kitchen with space for a coffee bar, a large pantry, and enough counter space for two to make sushi.

The problem: land is an expensive commodity in Central Oregon right now. If we find a house we like, it is on a postage stamp size lot. When we find the yard we love, it has a home that needs a good remodel and update to accommodate a family of four (or more someday.)

Every now and then we imagine our own homestead. Taking that leap into the wilds of Oregon--a place where no man has traveled (at least no phone, cable or electricity.) The trials and tribulations that the Kirkpatrick's faced help put that possibility into perspective.

Then there is the question of faith. Waiting upon the Lord. We know that He will direct us and guide us to the home He has for us. In the meantime, are we being good stewards of our time and resources? And how does our dream fit with His will?


Authors Note:
Jane Kirkpatrick is an Oregon author. She has written more than a dozen books, with her newest release A Tendering in the Storm available this week. The first chapter will be available on her website after April 17th.

Expressions

Western Heritage Gathering: Women of the West--Part V

The day concluded with a presentation by Jane Kirkpatrick. What a remarkable story she has to tell! If you have not read any of her work, I highly recommend Homestead. This is the true story of the years of work and struggle Mrs. Kirkpatrick and her husband went through to carve out a life along the rugged John Day river in Central Oregon.

Mrs. Kirkpatrick discussed the four expressions of women of the West: landscape, relationships, spirituality and work. To demonstrate each expression, she presented slides of paintings by artists, Emmy Whitehorse, Hung Liu, Anita Rodriguez and Alison Saar.

Landscape sustains people.

Relationships strengthen us.

Spirituality reminds us this life is fleeting.

Work is what we do.

These four elements help create the story of women of the West. How does the land influence or hinder? Who are the people that come into our lives? Why do we live? What fills our days?

School Marms, Saloon Girls, & Calamity Jane

Western Heritage Gathering: Women of the West--Part IV

Molly Gloss set the record straight about women in the West. Her love of literature, and westerns in particular, has provided ample opportunity to become familiar with the "accepted" version of women's roles out West. However, dissatisfied by the dime novel and Hollywood portrayals she did a little research of her own. The result: The Jump-Off Creek and Wild Life.

Think about frontier women--women of the west--whom you have seen on TV or movies. I think of the mothers who gave their all, such as "Ma" Walton and "Ma" Ingalls. Or the rough and tumble tom-boy Doris Day portrayed in Calamity Jane. Or Judy Garland (the proper maid) and Angela Lansbury (the saloon girl) in the Harvey Girls. The other often portrayed woman of the west is the teacher, as in Christy or Ms. Beadle from Little House. More often than not, women in old westerns were portrayed in stereotypical ways and suffered from the want of a good husband. Was there more to the story?

Molly's presentation was "Proving Up: Homesteading Women in the Literature of the American West." In the late 1800s less than one-half of homesteaders were women (without men!). By the 1910s every one in five homesteader was a woman. Women made their way West as mothers and wives. But how often do we hear about the single women wanting to work the land? The hard-working widow? Or the deserted wife/mother who must make the way as head of the household?

To "prove up" an individual had to be 21 years of age, head of the household, live on the land, make improvements and farm the land for five years. The real kicker? Women proved-up more often than men!

Read about real women of the West. Dozens of books are available regaling the lives and struggles of these women. Read until you break the mold of popular novels and movies.

Tip: Look for memoirs written by women who homesteaded in your area.

And don't forget, Alice Day Pratt's Homesteader's Portfolio (1922), Three Frontiers (1955) and Animals of a Sagebrush Ranch (Juvenile, 1931). This remarkable woman, single and nearing forty, traveled from her home on the East Coast to file claim on 160 acres of land in Central Oregon (Prineville area).

For a more modern version of the homesteading woman read Jane Kirkpatrick's, Homestead. I will write more about this fabulous book in an upcoming post.