A Lantern in Her Hand (Puffin Classics)

The story of a young woman who comes to Nebraska Territory as a young bride and grows with the state. She sees the growth and development of the old frontier as it parallels the growth and development of her own life. A re-readable delight.

This was one of the first books I fell in love with - I think in the 7th grade.

What a wonderful character Bess Streeter Aldrich created in Abbie Deal. Strong, sacrificing, loving. Never stopped dreaming although her choices in life did not allow her to follow her dreams. Fitting that her descendants would share the dreams amongst them.

Aldrich is, truly, a very good author. Her books are well written, but her plots aren't exactly the best. This one follows the life story of Abbie Deal, a early pioneer with long tapering fingers. She's prone to jealousy and depression, but all the same, this book is fairly mild on the emotions

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between young men and women.

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A nice book for fans of Little House on the Prairie, this novel tells the life story of Abbie Deal from her childhood in Iowa to her long life as pioneer on the Nebraska prairie. The novel is epic in scope stretching from the 1850’s to the 1920’s. Abbie’s life flies by in the first half of

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the book, almost too fast as the young, artistic dreamer finds herself in the role of a harbscrabble settler’s wife raising children. The book reaches his stride in Abbie’s old age as it slows down and explores the signifigance of her life to her children, grandchildren, and the state of Nebraska itself. I like the book overall but it really takes an effort to commit to it through the long haul.

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This is one of those books my mother recommended when I was 12 or so while at the local library, and I have read it multiple times since then. Everytime I read it, I still find myself caught up in the world of Abbie Deal; hHer struggles, loves, life decisions still captivate me.

There were a couple of times perhaps when the storyline seemed a little slow, but other than that, it is a beautifully written book.

It amazes me that this book follows Abbie from the time she was 8 years old to when she is in her 80's. So rarely do books follow a character's entire life--and it is

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done in such a relatively short span of time (about 250 pages, so the length of your average book) that I must give kudos to the author for pulling it off so nicely.

The ending brought tears to my eyes... but they were happy tears.

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I both liked and disliked this book. While it gives great detail about the pioneer spirit in this country, it also brings home full swing how fleeting and difficult life is. A good book but a little depressing too.

I cried the whole way through this book. It's a powerful, unsentimental survey of a pioneer woman's life. I confess to being impatient with Abbie's continual self-denial, and cranky when she claimed that age 45 was "too late" to learn anything new, but that's a minor quibble. The sweep and swing of

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time, the space of a given life, and the pace at which is whistles by are the themes here, and they are given voice beautifully against the backdrop of the rushing changes happening in pioneer Nebraska. I'm glad I read it as a middle-aged mother, even though I sniveled my way through it. Recommended.

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A Lantern in her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich was a book that I read and loved when much younger and I was looking forward to reading about the life of pioneer Abby Deal once again. Born in Iowa in the mid-1800’s, she and her husband Will moved to Nebraska and homesteaded there. This book paints

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an accurate picture of the hardships encountered and endurance required in pioneer life. As a woman, Abby was constantly sacrificing her dreams for those of her husband and children, starting out with her husband overriding her concerns about striking out on their own, leaving friends and family behind.

I could certainly see why I loved this book when I first read it as it is truly a heartwarming story of a pioneer family, but as an adult, I would have liked a little more depth and insight into the characters. Abby Deal is first and foremost a woman of strength and tenacity, meeting and overcoming all obstacles that were placed in front of her. I love the name of this book as it paints a vivid picture of how the pioneer women would step outside in the dark with a lantern to guide their menfolk home across the flat prairies.

A Lantern in Her Hand is a simple story that highlights the choices and sacrifices that pioneer women were faced with. Originally published in 1928, the author based Abby on her own mother and A Lantern in Her Hand is obviously a tribute to her.

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