This Road We Traveled

by Jane Kirkpatrick

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

Publication

Revell (2016), 352 pages

Description

Fiction. Historical Fiction. Three generations of the Brown women travel west together on the Oregon Trail, but each seeks something different. When the trail divides, a decision must be made that could bring survival or tragedy. The challenges faced will form the character of one woman�??and impact the future for many mo

User reviews

LibraryThing member lamb521

Title: This Road We Traveled
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Pages: 352
Year: 2016
Publisher: Revell
My rating is 5 stars.
If ever a novel were to remind us of the hardships endured by early settlers heading west and the high price paid to establish a new land, here is the novel that excels in doing so! While

it is a fictional story set in the mid-1800s about families traveling the Oregon Trail and their encounters, at the end of the book the author shares what was factual in the story. For me this book caused me to slow down and become entangled in the journey of the Brown family.
The matriarch of the Brown family is a woman named Tabby, who is by her own admission sometimes sharp-tongued and not one to sit down and watch life go by. No, Tabby, even though she has a limp from a childhood accident, continues to ask the Lord what He has for her to do. Once she discovers His will, nothing and no one can stop her. Readers will become amazed at the way Tabby perseveres and at her heart of love for her family as well as orphans.
History is so captivating because there is so much revealed and remembered and then shared in ways that help to challenge us to press on in our lives as we reflect on those who have gone before us. What was accomplished by the early settlers, and sometimes the heartaches that tore at their hearts and souls, is simply beyond words of expression. Here is a work if fiction that challenges us to never “retire”, but to ask the Lord what He would have us do while we are here.
I believe Jane Kirkpatrick shares an exceptional tale that will touch readers’ hearts and souls while causing us to perhaps rethink our plans by asking the Lord for His plan, and then be about whatever He would have us do. Thanks, Jane for writing a very moving novel. I hope many read it and share it with people they know.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Show Less

4 more

LibraryThing member Cherylk

I read A Light in the Wilderness and liked that that book was also focused on the Oregon Trail. A great piece of history that people should know about. Thus the reason I was looking forward to reading this book. Yet, something happened and I was less then enthralled to read this book. I tried

really hard to stick with this book as I wanted to read more about the Oregon Trail; however, I just could not find myself gaining any type of human connection with any of the characters in this book. After reading about 4 chapters in a row without really comprehending what I was reading I realized I was just more going through the motions then soaking in the story. Sadly, I put this book down after a third of the way into it. I hope that the next book by this author has me cheering again.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Mizroady

I have never read a book of Ms. Kirkpatrick’s I did not enjoy – a lot! It isn’t just her outstanding skills as a writer that draws me, but the fact that all her books are based on real people and events. Most I had never heard of.
Tabitha Brown lived during the 1840’s and became known as the

Mother of Oregon. She founded the Oregon Orphans’ Asylum and School at Tualatin Plains. It was a boarding house, had a teacher from the east. Children were fed, clothed educated and loved. Eventually it became the Tualatin Academy. She did all this with very limited funds, in her senior years and in a newly settled area. The diary she kept along the journey was a great source of information for the author.
All this is quite amazing, but there was much more to Tabitha than that. She was a widowed pastor’s wife, a spunky, outspoken, independent woman. When her family decides to move to Oregon from Missouri, her son announces it is best for to stay behind! He cites her age, 65, and a lame leg that makes it difficult to get around. She is hurt and stunned.
With her usual determination she buys her own wagon, supplies and animals, announcing she is going. The trip is treacherous and dangerous, testing her in ways she had never been challenged. In the 1840’s such trips were trying even for the young. Not only did she face every peril, but actually helped her family in different crisis’s.
I related to Tabitha in several ways. I am in my 60’s also a widowed pastor’s wife. How would I feel if my children announced they were all moving away and leaving me behind? What if I lived in that era and the trip would not mean jumping in a car and being there in a few hours. Would I have the courage and strength?
Her strong faith in God is what carried her. I admired that as with all the discomfort, opposition, and hazards she faced it showed she had true trust in God. It would have been so easy to give up. No matter how difficult the experiences were, she continued to think of and care for others. What an inspiring woman! Six stars to Ms. Kirkpatrick for another outstanding book!
I received this book free from Baker Publishing

Show Less

LibraryThing member Maydacat

Tabby is a strong-willed woman and knows her own mind. When her family decides to head to Oregon, she is not about to sit back and wave good-bye! But the trail west is a hard one by wagon train in 1845, for even young men, and Tabby is 66 years old. Still, through many hardships and disasters, she

and her family perseveres. Her story is one of faith in God and love of her fellow man. Based on real people, this work of historical fiction is one of strength of character and belief that one can survive the hardest of tasks, if God so wills.

Show Less

LibraryThing member polarmath

I have enjoyed the many books that I have from Jane Kirkpatrick and this one was no exception. I love seeing how she weaves actual events into her books as it makes it see more real. I liked how strong a woman that Tabitha and how she refused to let her family be separated and how her being on the

journey became very important. It was interesting to see how life was along the journey west and how many lives were impacted along the way.
I received a copy of this book to read and review from the publisher.

Show Less

Fewer