A Name of Her Own

Rating:
Summary: An insightful pleasure to read
Review: If one seeks a book that tell a story of courage and searching, then this is it. The historical detail taught me a great deal about the poineering of America. It also traces with care the story of Marie Dorian, one that raises our consciousness about the contribution of one Iowa Indian woman to a great expedition, and captures in vivid detail the trials she faces in caring for her children and husband, the tragic loss of a newborn daughter, and eventual fight for survival. This book is a standout for detail and for insight into the human condition. I was able to relate to the main character and recognise the common threads that tie us all through the generations. It is a book that is a joy to read, and one that lends itself to serious reflection and celebration of life's gifts.

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring journey of a courageous woman
Review: If you are a fan of Jane Kirkpatrick's other historical fiction or if you've never had the pleasure of walking in the shoes of Jane's real-as-rain characters, don't miss A Name of Her Own, the first in her new Tender Ties series. It was fascinating for me to experience the realities of life on the trail for a minority woman 200 years ago shortly after the return of Lewis and Clark. As the only female member of the Astor fur expedition in 1811, Ioway Indian mother Marie Dorion endured a difficult journey without complaint. Not only did she have to care for a curious toddler and a sickly nursing baby, but she also was pregnant and gave birth along the trail on a freezing January day. The inexperienced expedition leaders made many bad decisions which resulted in the starving expedition members wandering lost in the wilderness. I found myself walking where Marie walked, and worrying with her about finding her sons something to eat, keeping them from freezing to death, and wondering how her half-blood sons would fit into a white man's world.

Rating:
Summary: A Name Of Her Own
Review: Imagine yourself alone in the world, hungry, cold, defenceless against all the elements and your children starving and left behind while you sought help. This was Marie Dorion and she and her children survived. Jane Kirkpatrick writes of strong women and this latest book is no exception. I especially like that this story is based on a real woman in the Pac NW. Marie Dorion's courage and honor is truly an inspiration for women of all ages and in all ages.

Rating:
Summary: A Name Of Her Own
Review: Imagine yourself alone in the world, hungry, cold, defenceless against all the elements and your children starving and left behind while you sought help. This was Marie Dorion and she and her children survived. Jane Kirkpatrick writes of strong women and this latest book is no exception. I especially like that this story is based on a real woman in the Pac NW. Marie Dorion's courage and honor is truly an inspiration for women of all ages and in all ages.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, exhaustively researched
Review: Jane is a fantastic writer. I enjoyed drifting into history with this lovely book and I usually stick to nonfiction. Jane, however, brings the past alive like nonfiction never will. She has brought attention to a long-ignored figure, dusted off Marie Dorion, and given her a rightful place in the women's West. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, exhaustively researched
Review: Jane is a fantastic writer. I enjoyed drifting into history with this lovely book and I usually stick to nonfiction. Jane, however, brings the past alive like nonfiction never will. She has brought attention to a long-ignored figure, dusted off Marie Dorion, and given her a rightful place in the women's West. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Jane Kirkpatrick continues to amaze me with her writing. I feel this is the best of her work to date.
Thank you Jane for all of the research and love you put into this book. It has not gone unnoticed.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible book
Review: Jane Kirkpatrick has done it again. Another excellent book. The research that she took on for this book to be written is just amazing. She has told Marie's story very well. She has added fiction into the history books and created a very readable account. The only downfall is the next in the series is yet to be released. This is a must read and I can't wait for the next one.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible book
Review: Jane Kirkpatrick has done it again. Another excellent book. The research that she took on for this book to be written is just amazing. She has told Marie's story very well. She has added fiction into the history books and created a very readable account. The only downfall is the next in the series is yet to be released. This is a must read and I can't wait for the next one.

Rating:
Summary: An absorbing story about an exceptional woman
Review: One doesn't have to be avidly interested in the early pioneers of the Old West to become emotionally involved in this based-on-real-life story of Marie Dorion. Marie was a contemporary and perhaps even a friend of Sacagawea, the Indian woman who helped guide Lewis and Clark.
As the series begins, Marie, a young Ioway Indian woman, is married to Pierre, a hard-drinking and sometimes abusive mixed-blood man who is an interpreter for the Wilson Hunt Astoria expedition of 1811. Marie refuses to be left behind with her two small sons, Jean Baptiste and Paul. As the expedition makes its westward way through incredible hardships, we come to deeply appreciate and admire Marie's strength and courage along with her tenderness and vulnerability.
While intimately involving us in Marie's life, as well as that of her family and her fellow travelers, Jane Kirkpatrick paints a fair and balanced portrait of the conquering of the western part of our nation. It's a complicated mix of courage, greed, injustice and bravery--and Kirkpatrick's gifted pen brings it to vivid life.
As the story progresses, we see Marie being drawn inexorably closer to the Provident God that her former mother and mother-in-law told her about in her youth--the God who has given every fixed star a name, and loves each soul individually.
As I read A Name of Her Own, I found myself marveling both at the character and courage of the people who formed the backbone of our country in its early days, and at the talent of the author who has made it so real in these books. I can't wait to read the next book in this remarkable trilogy.