56849

Heart of the Prairie series #3; good tale of early settlers going west & what they endured ( )

The year is 1874, and Emmaline is fraveling to America to be wed to her promised beau. But 5 long years has passed since they were together, and they are strangers to each other, at least in Emmaline’s eyes. Yes, you can pretty much see how this will end from the beginning. And if the pleasure is in the journey, not the end, then this journey went on too long. There are some interesting aspects to the story, but by far, the best is the character of Tildy, especially in this audio version. Barbara Caruso does an excellent job of portraying the characters, and her portrayal of Tildy is exceptional. But the plot itself is thin, the characters mostly stereotypical, and the story just plods along. ( )

NCLA Review - After years of separation from her fiance, English-born Emmaline Bradford is shocked by the conditions on Geoffrey’s Kansas sheep ranch and wishes to return to England immediately. But Geoffrey offers a compromise: if Emmaline promises to stay until spring, he’ll pay her return fare if she decides to go back to England. Rich in period detail of the 1870's Kansas prairie, this novel is a beautifully told story of two wounded souls, each fearful and desiring the other to be the first to change. Readers will empathize with both as they face the challenges foisted upon them, those of the heart and soul as well as those dealt them as ranchers in an often hostile land plagued with locusts, drought, fire, flood, pestilence and illness. When spring arrives will Emmaline return to England or will she marry Geoffrey and carve out a life with him in Kansas? Rating: 3 —MF ( )

Review to follow ( )