Sixteen Brides

Starred review from April 1, 2010
The Ladies Emigration Society left St. Louis for Cayote, Nebraska, to claim homesteads. Widowed southern belle Caroline was disowned after she married a Yankee. Oversized Ella and her petite mother Zita lost their farm during the Civil War. Ruth is being forced into an arranged and unacceptable marriage. Sally is divorced, and Hettie isnt what she seems. Arriving in Plum Grove to discover they were promised as brides, they are outraged. So they pool their resources to buy four adjoining plots and build one house. Whitsons ambitious historical inspirational romance, set on Americas frontier in 1871, is a resounding success, following each of these very different women as they step forward in faith, hope, and friendship to create new and better lives for themselves and, in the process, win the respect and admiration of not only their chosen mates but also an entire town. Carefully researched details add color to this easy-to-read account, in which Whitsons characters are boldly drawn and the setting neatly emphasizes their self-reliant natures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)