Rating: 
Summary: A passionate story.
Review: "A Lantern in Her Hand" is such a deep story, that I could only handle reading it in small portions. Each and every time, I would close the book with such sadness in my heart. Abbie worked so hard as a mother and a wife, and sacrificed her dreams and wantings, that it made me think of what my parents might have set aside for me. Her children, when grown, bothered me so much, to think their mother old-fashioned and somewhat senile. If only we can have such fond and cherished memories when we live to be in our 80s. I recommend.
Rating:
Summary: A memorable story
Review: Although I won't call Aldrich an American Jane Austen, I doubt that I will ever forget this book. The plot might seem slightly trite and dated when summarized, but the book contains more than a sentimental tale of a poor girl demonstrating true love by marrying a poor boy instead of a rich boy. It is a story of ideals, of human nature, of choices, of consequences, of joy, of disappointment, of the American frontier, of a complete (in both senses of the word) life. I was shocked to find a tear in my eye as I read the last pages of the story--a tear not catalyzed by despair or pity, but rather by some kind of bitter-sweet emotion that is difficult to describe. If I were to see this story on screen, I would like to see it either as a well-treated indie film or as a big-budget, large-scale movie with good cinematography and direction (perhaps ala Spielberg or Titanic sans "fluff" or The English Patient minus war and unrequited love...
Rating: 
Summary: Well-worn story about a woman's life..
Review: Bess Aldrich's "Lantern in Her Hand" is about 75 years old now. It tells the story of one woman named Abby Deal, and her life from a young girl to an elderly grandmother. It seems stuck in its time, as Abby acts like an "old fashioned" woman, but I suppose I can't expect differently. The story moves slowly, and it tells of how Nebraska became settled. Typical grandmother-granddaughter subplot where they leave in two different worlds, and typical subplot about another granddaughter who is just like Abby.
Rating:
Summary: Well-worn story about a woman's life..
Review: Bess Aldrich's "Lantern in Her Hand" is about 75 years old now. It tells the story of one woman named Abby Deal, and her life from a young girl to an elderly grandmother. It seems stuck in its time, as Abby acts like an "old fashioned" woman, but I suppose I can't expect differently. The story moves slowly, and it tells of how Nebraska became settled. Typical grandmother-granddaughter subplot where they leave in two different worlds, and typical subplot about another granddaughter who is just like Abby.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable Character
Review: I have loved this book ever since I read it the first time. The story line is ageless. I have been trying to find a copy of it to buy for years. I read this book several times in grammer school, (about 35 years ago) and I have never forgotten it. The story always touched me....a beautiful lady, who could have married into wealth and luxury, but instead chose true love. She lived to realize all her dreams through her children. The story never fails to bring tears to my eyes. I can't wait to receive my copy and read it again and again!!!
Rating:
Summary: a cherished book
Review: I read this book as a young teenager so many times that I memorized the plot and many phrases in the story. Unfortunately, I forgot the title and the author, so in trying to find it again I had to search through page after page of items on internet search engines. Finally, after searching through four or five hundred entries, I found it. It is the most wonderful story of being a woman and being alive that I have ever come across. Now that I am older, with children of my own, I appreciate the wisdom and message of the book even more. This book is very precious to me--I even feel close to people I don't know who loved it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: A moving story of settlement of the Plains states
Review: I read this book many years ago in high school and just found it again in my library.Enjoyed re-reading the story as had forgotten so many details. I didn't find anything about selling and buying back the string of pearls that another reviewer mentioned. Maybe that was left out of the edition I read. It was a very good history of life on the prairies where people survived by working hard and having hope.
Rating:
Summary: A Lantern inHer Hand
Review: This is a terrific story of prairie life.This is my Grandma crockers favorite book. She said she first read it in her schools library. She is 84 and still loves to read.My Grandmother tried to get me to read this book years ago,but I didnt think I would like it. I finally said I would and I think its one of the best I have ever read. I actually cried real tears at the end when old Abby Deal dies. I reccommend this to anyone who like to read. Since reading this ,I have gotten all of Bess Streeter Aldrich's books. My grandmother read them first and now I am reading them.
Rating:
Summary: Love and Faith Keep You Going
Review: This is a wonderful book of a woman's life and times in the 1800s. The story begins with an old woman telling of her life when she was a little girl up until her husband was thrown from a horse and killed. She tells of a gift her mother gave her, a string of pearls from Ireland, that her husband sold and then bought back many years later. She tells of love and faith and how a family continues to get along even in troubled times. My brother and I both read this book in high school. He did a book report on it. It is really excellent reading, and should be read by anyone who enjoys historical novels. This book was based on a true-life story.
Rating:
Summary: "...A SONG ON HER LIPS, AND A LANTERN IN HER HAND."
Review: This was one of the most heartwarming, touching, most precious stories I've ever read. What I loved most about it(apart from the lovely and poetical way of writing), was how Aldrich wrote the story of Abby's whole life, and not just the romance era like most authors do. I never would have considered that old people are never really old, it's just that they have outgrown what the rest of us are still waiting to grow into; that they once had lives with romance and accomplishments and thing of their own, had I not read this book. Well, anyways, the story goes like this: Abby Mackenzie is eight years old when she moves to a little community with her family, and meets Will Deal. Well, all her young life, Abby has been told the story of her aristocratic father married her peasant mother, putting the rest of the family into peasantry. Her dream is to be like her aristocratic grandmother, Isabel Anders-Mackenzie, who has a portrait which Abby has only seen in her imagination. Well, when Abby grows older, she is courted by the dashing young doctor, Ed Mathews, who proposes while her friend Will is off at war. She thinks that if she marries him, she will have the chance to pursue all the dreams of being a fine lady, especially enriching her lovely singing voice. But, then Will comes home, and Abby marries him, realizing that he was the one she really loved. So, the newly weds pioneer-on-over to Nebraska Territory, where they raise a family. The rest of the story tells of their life on the prairie, and how Abby is able to live her dreams through her children instead of herself. The book goes on until she dies in her eighties. I loved it with all of my heart, and absolutely COULD NOT have imagined a sweeter ending than the one Aldrich gave. Read this book!
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