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BOOK REVIEW: The Prairies Call Your Name
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by: Vickie McDonough Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: The Prairies Call Your Name Author: J. N. Graham Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. ISBN: 0-595-33695-7 Genre: Inspirational/Historical/Romance
Leah Cooper isn't sure she'll make a very good wife to a farmer on the Dakota prairie, but she loves her handsome husband with all her heart and is determined to put aside her fears and help him realize his dream. Raised a privileged life, her formal upbringing and training in a fancy girl's school did little to prepare her for the hardships of prairie living. Plus her father's angry decree that she'll never survive the trip to the Dakota Territory, much less, pioneer life, only multiplies her feelings of inadequacy.
Jacob Cooper can't believe he's finally realizing his dream of becoming a farmer. The fact that he's married the gal he's loved his whole life only makes things better. So what if Leah can't cook and doesn't know much about pioneer life-she'll learn, and he'll be patient. But the loneliness and hardships are worse than Jacob or Leah ever dreamed.
As Jacob works constantly to build a shanty to live in, a soddy to protect their animals, and to plow his fields, Leah begins to withdraw, and their relationship suffers. A tragic event sends Leah spiraling into a world only she can access. Has Jacob finally achieved his dream, only to lose the woman he dearly loves?
The Prairies Call Your Name gives readers a candid look into the difficult life of the early pioneers. Leah is ill prepared for the arduous task of prairie living. She constantly battles feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, as well as the normal struggles a newlywed deals with.
Jacob is wonderful but determined, and often doesn't see Leah's needs in light of his resolve to reach his goal. As the story progresses, Jacob learns that he can't do everything himself. In fact, doing so may have destroyed any hopes he had of a happy life.
Author J.N. Graham doesn't whitewash anything in The Prairies Call Your Name. Her characters face one difficulty after another. Your heart will ache for both Leah and Jacob as they endure their troubles and look for a way out of the darkness that's engulfed them. God's power of redemption and forgiveness shows through as the story nears the end.
The Prairies Call Your Name is an emotional story of friendship, romance, and learning to depend on God instead of yourself. | |
