Rating: 
Summary: A Beautifully Written and Absorbing Story
Review: "The whole thing reads thusly...'He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Psalm 147:4.' It means that to God, you are as precious as every fixed star in the sky. He calls you by name, Marie." So explains the printer to Marie, the Ioway Indian woman whose journey towards hearing and grasping this simple truth provides the theme for this absorbing story.EVERY FIXED STAR by Jane Kirkpatrick, the second book in a trilogy that began with A NAME OF HER OWN, is not merely the retelling of the migration west. Rather, it parallels the life of Marie Dorion to the struggles and adventures experienced by those brave pioneers who came in every size, shape, color and creed, with motives ranging from noble to nefarious. What a task for both the original protagonists and for the writer who accepts the challenge to write it down for us. This phase of the journey begins after Marie has lost her husband and first-born daughter to the wilderness that the family had set out to conquer. She finds herself an outsider in encampment, where she alone is responsible to pay off her husband's debts and for the survival of herself and her two sons. There are no credit cards, no food stamps --- only a knife given to her by Sacagawea with which to gut and dress a fallen doe so that the children can eat during the difficult winter. EVERY FIXED STAR offers enrichment on many levels. There are words of wisdom that are spoken by both Natives and Christians who try to help Marie on her journey. Her Chipewyan friend, Sarah, tells her, "Regret is the robe grief hands you. It promises warmth but gives only weight. It is woman's work to turn regret into something of worth." There are the questions raised by Marie's unconditional love for her sons and her lack of skill to communicate that love, a lack of communication that leads the boys to have skewed perceptions of their mother --- and each one deals with his feelings in ways that wound her over and over. And though there are the two strong, brave men who love Marie, accept her as she is and provide her support, still there is always the underlying theme, "You don't trust the good things that happen to you, eh?" She cannot see her worth; she does not understand her purpose and must struggle to accept even the smallest of gifts. EVERY FIXED STAR will delight you with pictures of love, bravery, struggles and triumphs, all painted on a historically accurate canvas. Sit back and enjoy the many gifts that are given in this beautifully written book. --- Reviewed by Maggie Harding
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Summary: Marie is haunted by a past filled with mistakes
Review: Every Fixed Star by Jane Kirkpatrick is an historical novel based upon the life of Marie Dorion, who was the first mother to cross the Rocky Mountains. Marie is haunted by a past filled with mistakes and she struggles with more than just the physical stresses and dangers of early pioneer life in the Northwest. Marie believes she is undeserving of a rich, good life -- until she makes a life-changing discovery. A technically flawless recording, Every Fixed Star is very ably narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Highly recommended listening, Every Fixed Star is also available in a CD format.
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Summary: Every Fixed Star
Review: Every Fixed Star was the best yet. The way Jane Kirkpatrick weaves fact and fiction into a smooth and entertaining story is
sheer genius. The reader is captured on the first page and lives through all the ups and downs of Marie's life all the way to the last page. When you finish this book you feel like you've left a good friend and can hardly wait for the next book so you can spend some more time with her. All of Jane's books are excellent and well worth the time spent reading them but this one is by far at the top of the list.
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Summary: A Name of Her Own, Every Fixed Star
Review: In Both A Name of Her Own and Every Fixed Star, Jane Kirkpatrick has done of superb job of compiling a huge amount of historical information and weaving it into a captivating story. I am a direct descendent of Marie Dorion and I loved the way Jane has portrayed Marie, along with her fellow pioneers, into people with strong personalities. She has interconnected a great number of historical figures in this series, people that just may have crossed paths. Jane has turned Marie Dorion and my third great-grandfather, Louis Venier into real, loving people. These books speak to my heart. Jennifer
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Summary: 4 1/2 Stars...A Colorful Tapestry
Review: In the first Tender Ties historical novel, I was moved by the story of Marie Dorion, a Native American woman who earns respect from men and white folk alike while traveling to the unexplored Pacific Northwest. She faces tragedy and triumph, and Kirkpatrick's graceful writing underscores Marie's emotions with a no-nonsense approach. Every detail is researched, every nuance believable. In "Every Fixed Star," once again we find Marie struggling with tragedy. Her sons are increasingly withdrawn, and, when she finds new love, it too leads to sorrow. Marie's guilt and questions in the face of her sons' anger is heartwrenching and true to character. Marie is a woman searching for her life's calling, her "metier" (in French). She finds herself taking blame for things, then questioning God's hand in certain events. Her wrestling is something with which we can all relate. Kirkpatrick's storytelling separates the tender ties of life and weaves them together into a colorful tapestry. She allows the dark and the bright cords to twine together, her words contrasting heaviness and joy. Although the decades worth of Marie's life made it more difficult for me to connect than in the first book, I pulled with her all the way, and am left wondering what will happen in the finale. Some questions simple must be answered. If you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. This is one tapestry you'll want to wrap yourself in.
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Summary: An admirable woman, a remarkable story
Review: Jane Kirkpatrick has a way of turning a phrase that is almost poetic,
lyrical in its beauty. The result is stories that are immensely
evocative and visceral. I can't explain it, but it carried me along like a canoe on a smooth-flowing Oregon river as I devoured the first two of Kirkpatrick's "Tender Ties" series, "A Name of Her Own" and "Every Fixed Star" (Multnomah). 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 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 second book, Every Fixed Star, begins, Marie and her sons have already faced and survived a tragic ordeal, and Marie is on the brink of finding love again. Marie can't bring herself to trust the joyful times, fearing the bad times that she expects will follow. Still, we see her 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 and Every Fixed Star, 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.
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Summary: A Story of Strength, Courage, and Faith
Review: Jane Kirkpatrick's wonderful style of combining accurate historical facts with fiction in her novels is captivating! This book of the TENDER TIES series stands by itself, but invites the reader to anticipate getting "the rest of the story in a book to be published in 2004. This second book in the series continues the saga of Marie Dorion, the Ioway Indian woman who came West with the Astor expedition in 1811. This second book chronicles Marie's struggle after arriving in the Oregon Country as a widow with two small boys. She seeks to find meaning in her life through the pain of constant change. She searches for answers to complex questions of life, relationship to God, and the search for peace and comfort. The book shares the conflicts and questions she asks herself, as she seeks to fulfill her "metier" - the French word for "calling" in her experience. For the person who craves historical fact from this era, there is much to learn in this book about the settling of the Oregon Country. But for any woman who has ever had children, or who has walked through pain, separation from those she holds dear, trials and conflicts, there is comfort and encouragement in this tender, captivating tale. I highly recommend it as a "must read"!!
Rating:
Summary: A Story of Strength, Courage, and Faith
Review: Jane Kirkpatrick's wonderful style of combining accurate historical facts with fiction in her novels is captivating! This book of the TENDER TIES series stands by itself, but invites the reader to anticipate getting "the rest of the story in a book to be published in 2004. This second book in the series continues the saga of Marie Dorion, the Ioway Indian woman who came West with the Astor expedition in 1811. This second book chronicles Marie's struggle after arriving in the Oregon Country as a widow with two small boys. She seeks to find meaning in her life through the pain of constant change. She searches for answers to complex questions of life, relationship to God, and the search for peace and comfort. The book shares the conflicts and questions she asks herself, as she seeks to fulfill her "metier" - the French word for "calling" in her experience. For the person who craves historical fact from this era, there is much to learn in this book about the settling of the Oregon Country. But for any woman who has ever had children, or who has walked through pain, separation from those she holds dear, trials and conflicts, there is comfort and encouragement in this tender, captivating tale. I highly recommend it as a "must read"!!
Rating:
Summary: Every Fixed Star
Review: Once again I was in awe of Marie and her life during the 1800's. The effort it took just to keep her family warm, fed, clothed and safe is mind-boggling. I think as American women, living in this day & time we tend to forget the horrible hardships and conditions that "those who have gone before us" endured. I must continue to remind myself how blest I am to be living in this century with all our modern conviences. Thank you, dear Jane for bringing these stories to us, God has blessed you with a special gift. The next chapter in Marie's life can't come too soon.
Rating:
Summary: Another great read
Review: This book continues the story of Marie Dorian. Again the detail means it is an excellent learning tool - about both history and people. This is the better of the two (if you can actually split them!). I found it useful to reflect on events and memories in my own life - and to think about what is an individuals "calling" in life. Amongst other things it is a moving spiritual experience. As an historical novel it is among the best I have ever experienced.
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