AUTHOR: Jane Kirkpatrick
DATE: 2015
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: *****
Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now the young mother of two children, Eliza faces a different kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants them to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her departed mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Eliza longs to know how her mother, an early missionary to the Nez Perce Indians, dealt with the challenges of life with a sometimes difficult husband and with her daughter's captivity.
When Eliza is finally given her mother's diary, she is stunned to find that her own memories are not necessarily the whole story of what happened. Can she lay the dark past to rest and move on? Or will her childhood memories always hold her hostage?
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. Readers will find themselves 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.
Yes, this story is based on real events, and that’s what makes it such a powerful and often heartbreaking tale. The massacre of 1847 was unfamiliar to me, even though the names Spalding and Whitman did sound vaguely familiar. Ms. Kirkpatrick’s intricately woven tale made me wish I had listened better in history class back in the dark ages, but I am thankful for her impressive research that brought Eliza’s story to life.
The Memory Weaver is not an easy, light-hearted read. Rather, it is a compelling study of personalities and how different people deal with tragedy and normal hardships of life, all wrapped in a story of faith. Eliza Spalding Warren was a strong woman, even in her weakest moments, and her story will stay with me for a very long time.
Not to missed are the author’s notes at the back of the book. The Memory Weaver is highly recommended, and I award it five stars.
Disclaimer: I was given a book by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have given here.