BOOK INFORMATION:
Book Title: Setting the Wind
Author: Kari August
Publishing Date: May 3rd, 2018
Publisher: Mountian Track Publishing
Page Count: 397 pages
Source: Kindle for review
The harsh and rugged Colorado frontier of 1875 is not the type of place most would consider suitable for a recent widow to establish a home of her own. Yet that is exactly what Henrietta Schodde determines she will do as she impetuously buys a cabin in the newly forming settlement of Estes Park. Despite assurances from Henrietta that the locals appear amiable, her relatives are concerned and recruit the assistance of long-time family friend Collan Wallace, who unbeknownst to Henrietta, has also just begun homesteading in the area.
The last thing Collan desires is to watch over the woman who has been his nemesis since childhood. But the pair quickly realizes that there is more than each other to fight about when they discover an unscrupulous Englishman, Lord Dunraven, is hungry for their land.
Endearing and engaging, Settling the Wind, is historical fiction based on actual events that reveals the courage of Colorado’s pioneers in the face of more struggles than they could have imagined.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK
Settling the Wind: A Frontier Historic Colorado Story was such a great piece of frontier literature. This is one of the few frontier centered novels I have read, and I can’t wait to read more of this genre. I really enjoyed this novel. It gave me Wilma Cather vibes, in the writing style and subject. The historically detailed journey seemed so believable, and the book had such relatable characters. The most engaging part of the story is the way the novel is narrated. I enjoyed the diary entries and letters which were included. This is one of my favorite ways to tell a story, so it was great to read.
The frontier setting in this novel is Estes Park in Colorado. The story focuses on the lives of Henrietta Schodde and Collan Wallace. This story has many other characters that make this story enchanting. This book combines fictional and actual people.
At the start of this book, Henrietta is living with her sister’s family. After the sudden death of her beloved husband, Charles. She loves her family but honestly needs some alone time. She sees an ad for a place called Estes Park and decides to visit there. Once there she falls in love with the area, the people, and everything to do with it. She makes some friends while there, and when she is about to leave she is given the opportunity to buy an established claim share. She decides to just go for it and agrees at the chance to do something different. Once her family hears about the news, they are less than thrilled at the idea. Although this exactly what she needs for that independence she desperately desires. Her first few days are a huge challenge, but she doesn’t give up.
The other main character is Collan Wallace who is a family friend. He is nomadic and has been traveling for years. He travels to Denver where he meets Abner and learns about an opportunity in Estes Park, Colorado. He writes Henrietta’s brother about buying some cattle and starting his life out there. Quickly the brother writes back asking to check on his sister. He agrees, but there is more to the story than that. He realized too late that Etta was the girl for him years ago before she met her husband, Charles. He suppresses these feeling, but seeing her after all these years has brought back all those thoughts. Although she might not be ready for another love story.
I enjoyed that this book had a female-centered character which is often ignored in the story of the Wild West. Books all to often forget that women were around back then as well. I was glad while this story did contain an amount of romance it wasn’t completely filled to the brim with passion. I thought this was such a good read.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own and do not reflect this.
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