One More River to Cross
One More River to Cross book cover

One More River to Cross

by
Price
$12.79
Format
Paperback
Pages
352
Publisher
Revell
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0800727024
Dimensions
5.5 x 0.88 x 8.5 inches
Weight
10.8 ounces

Description

Adversity can squelch the human spirit . . . or it can help us discover strength we never knew we had. In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stephens-Murphy-Townsend company leaves Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada. They enjoy a safe journey--until October, when a fierce mountain snowstorm forces difficult decisions.The party separates in three directions. Some go overland around Lake Tahoe. Others stay to guard the heaviest wagons. The rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River awaiting rescue. The months ahead will be long and at times terrifying. But with friendship, family, and enough courage to overcome their fear, these intrepid pioneers will discover what truly matters in times of trial."Jane Kirkpatrick has turned a scrap of history into a story of courageous women strong enough to meet the challenges of nature--and of men."-- Sandra Dallas , New York Times bestselling author"What an incredible journey this novel is! It's moving and beautifully told, and I absolutely loved it."-- Molly Gloss , award-winning author of The Jump-Off Creek and The Hearts of Horses Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, with nearly two million copies sold, including Everything She Didn't Say , All She Left Behind , A Light in the Wilderness , The Memory Weaver , This Road We Traveled , and A Sweetness to the Soul , which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award among others. Jane lives in Central Oregon with her husband, Jerry. Learn more at www.jkbooks.com. Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of forty books, including Something Worth Doing , One More River to Cross , Everything She Didn't Say , All Together in One Place , A Light in the Wilderness , The Memory Weaver , This Road We Traveled , and A Sweetness to the Soul , which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. And been short-listed for the Christy, Spur, and Oregon Book Awards. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Caesar. Learn more at www.jkbooks.com.

Features & Highlights

  • In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mostly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated land and enjoyed a safe journey--until October, when a heavy snowstorm forced difficult decisions. The first of many for young Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa.When the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they loved and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can destroy or redefine. Two women and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three men stay to guard the heaviest wagons--and the rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River waiting for rescue . . . or their deaths.Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick plunges you deep into a landscape of challenge where fear and courage go hand in hand for a story of friendship, family, and hope that will remind you of what truly matters in times of trial.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(329)
★★★★
25%
(137)
★★★
15%
(82)
★★
7%
(38)
★
-7%
(-38)

Most Helpful Reviews

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I'd give 10 stars if I could

This novel is about a group of settlers traveling through the Sierra Nevada two years before the Donner party. When you read any book written by this author you can trust that she has done the research beforehand.
What I treasure most about ANY book by this author is how she uses words like beads being strung on a necklace!! Her prose is one of the most beautiful things I read. Consider these descriptions, taken from this book...."Loss scraped across my heart like a scouring pad" and "We all had losses too hard to ponder", "Blood-love carries a special strain of strong". Also I love the notes at the back where she explains the research, notes where she may have taken literary license, and expands the history of the real people from her story.
If you ever look for a book for a teen to read to try to cultivate a love of history, give this one a try. It's a "clean" read but it's not simple. There are terrific life lessons to cull from this story and just maybe it will develop a love for story..........which I think would please the author immensely.
14 people found this helpful
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If there isn't cheating in a book there is disrespect.

My Review of One More River To Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick: I promise I tried to read this book . . . Truly, I did, but I am a girl, eh, woman that believes that some women overreact with feminism, men should automatically be put in three categories; stupid/weak/needy, overbearing/controlling, or wanting an inappropriate relationship. Since this book has shown a lack of respect for the men, bitter woman that "was what women did" talking about taking care of a family, and I tried flipping through the book and landed on a page where a guy was leaving his wife to travel another way because he needed to take care of his guns. GUNS! How ridiculous can a book get? It's almost as if this was making a joke of the men, women, and everyone. I didn't finish this book and can't recommend it.

If there isn't cheating in a book there is disrespect. Especially in Christian fiction lately.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
4 people found this helpful
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A journey I wouldn't want to make!

*Received through the Revel Reads Blogger Program and voluntarily reviewed*

There are many, many characters in this story, but with one exception the focus is on the women, with the narrative constantly shifting from the point of view of one character to another. Unfortunately I struggled to keep track of the characters, men and women alike. There were a few who stood out, such as Maolisa and Moses, a young man who was the exception I mentioned above. I particularly enjoyed his sections of the book. I would say the main characters are Ellen, Beth, Mary and Sarah. Beth stood out, and I never confused her with someone else. But the other three I was constantly getting mixed up.

The plot meanders and is slow paced, not that I was bothered by that, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the landscape and the hardships. I can't imagine making the journey these characters undertook, and I seriously don't know that I would have survived! For the young ladies, life is frustrating when you're constantly overlooked or left behind, or your opinion is unimportant because of your gender, and there was a lot of internal dialoguing from the girls mentioned above about the unfairness of that.

"It was what women did. Waited for the right husband. Waited to begin a family. Waited for a life to begin."

Boy, if that doesn't sum up why it's so great to live in the time we live in!

The book read more like a young adult book than I was expecting, and I think I would've liked it much more if that weren't the case. But overall it was a good read and aside from having to pause occasionally to sort out the characters I stayed pretty invested in their story.
2 people found this helpful
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One More River to Cross makes me wonder if/how I would survive.

This is another great book by Jane Kirkpatrick. I had no idea that a group of pioneers (including 17 children!) traveled the same pass as the infamous Donner a party and also got caught in the terrible winter snow. Only this group came 2 years before and made some very different choices with very different outcomes. I totally got caught up in their dire situations, wondering how I would have survived and how it would change me. I absolutely recommend this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Strong, Courageous Women

They started out together: the Murphy, Townsend, Montgomery, Sullivan, and Patterson families and those accompanying them, following Captain Elisha Stephens on their way westward to California. Meeting hardships and harsh conditions, the group broke apart piece by piece, some taking a different route, others left behind with the hope of being rescued come spring. None knowing whether they would reach their final destination or what awaited them there.

As usual Kirkpatrick's story focuses on the strong women who helped mold our nation. As is frequently the case in her stories, this story is set within the westward movement. The matriarchs of the families whose story is told in One More River to Cross were women often left to feel powerless as their fates and the fates of their children were left to the decisions made by the men in their lives. When left on their own, Kirkpatrick shows them to be women of strength, courage, and determination.

Kirkpatrick's books are not your typical historical romance, but are more aptly described as historical drama filled with perseverance and true grit. Her books would not be described as fast-paced, but her chosen pace allows for deep character development. I must say that while this story was very interesting, it is not among my favorites of her books. I think that is because, although Mary and Sarah did get a bit more attention than the other women, there really didn't seem to be a main character among the women. I did enjoy the story though, and would choose it to read again. I appreciate having received a copy of One More River to Cross from Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.
2 people found this helpful
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This author's work is at it's finest here

Based on a truth, this wagon train crossing happened two years before the Donner party crossed the Sierra Nevada's. All was fine til October when the harsh snows hit the mountains.
The struggle was real and I am once again impressed with the strength of this author's research.
The vast wilderness,going without food for days on end including children,bone chilling cold,crossing rivers. Just amazing!
All had to work together to survive.
All the women had different strengths and weaknesses. The author showed a venerability to them. Do I think this made them weak, no! I do believe this brought out their character. No one had time to be selfish and think about themselves, everything was a group effort.
I think many of us have romanticized the wagon train crossings, including myself thinking how nice it would have been to ride in one in perfect weather enjoying the slow ride.
This book is really about strength,trust and faith in the Lord that he will get you through.
Excellent book with well developed characters set at a great pace!
Pub Date: 03 Sep 2019
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
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Strength and Determination

Jane Kirkpatrick hit another one out of the park. It's not a light read. It's difficult at times but you have to turn the page to find out what happens next. The story is about a wagon train that left Missouri going to California. Winter arrived and decisions had to be made. This is based on a real event.

The women were "being controlled by domineering men. " They basically had no say in decisions that impacted their futures. They were at their mercy. This was in 1844. This did not sit well with them.

This wonderful book demonstrates courage, strength and determination. As you read you question yourself as to what you would do? I loved seeing the growth of the characters as they are faced with situations that could make or break them. I became part of their family as I got to know them as they shared their stories.

Beautiful story. Heartwarming.

I received this free to review from Revell.
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Another great and intense Frontier Trail Novel

One More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick does not disappoint the reader, if they are familiar with her old frontier stories. In this novel, we meet many young women and men are their trek towards Alta, California for Sutter’s Fort from Missouri. However, when they reach the Rockies in the late autumn, near Lake Tahoe, the weather changes for the worse. The snow becomes intense and the group of travelers decide they need to split up into smaller groups.

The group of travelers soon divide into four different groups. The first group to separate is the Horse Back Group, consisting of six individuals. The Horseback Group goes a Southerly route in hopes of avoiding the heaviest snow. The second group to separate is the Wagon Group. This group only has 3 men, a husband and two young men, that are waiting winter out in order to get the wagons across the mountain in the spring. The final two groups to separate are the Wintering Women Camp (consisting of eight women, two men, and seventeen children) and the Cross Country men. They decide on this decision because of the tense weather and they believe it will be best for everyone.

Will the Cross Country men make it to Alta California and be able to return to the people they have left on guard? Will the other groups survive the harsh winter with the little provisions they have? You have to check the book out for yourself.
I really enjoyed this novel as I’m partial to the frontier days and I am amazed how these people were able to survive the journey. Ms. Kirkpatrick does a great job creating so many characters and separating them into there own parts. Great writing style, too! I want to thank not only Ms. Kirkpatrick but also Revell Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this complimentary book. I was not obligated to post a review, but I love sharing what a read with all of you.
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The Pre-Donner Party Party

One More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick is the story settlers traveling west to reach Alta California. The story takes places a couple years prior to the Donner party and captures the struggles of traveling over and through the snowy mountain terrain. In 1844, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party migrate from Iowa to California just before the Mexican American War and prior to the California Gold Rush. They passed Lake Tahoe on their way to Sutter Fort. This would be the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada and that very same trail would later be named the Donner pass for...obvious reasons. I enjoyed this read. Stories like this one leave me wondering what I would do in a similar situation. It focused on the struggles that the group would have experienced during that time, from physical barriers such as deep snow, narrow passes and huge boulders to emotional issues as the party began to split up. Moses was left behind with the wagons near the lake, the women and children were later left in a crudely built cabin before most of the men set off for supplies and rescue. Unfortunately, they find themselves pulled into the start of the Mexican-American war and unable to return to the women they'd left behind. Will there be a hero to the story? Will those that stayed behind survive through the winter? If you love historical fiction, grab a copy of One More River to Cross. I received a complimentary copy from Revell Reads. The honest opinions in this review are my own. Once I started reading, I had to research the story of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party. 
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One More River.....

This was a very interesting book. You have a bit of history put into a story. This is set in 1844 and heading from Missouri to California by wagon by the Stephens-Murphy-Townsend families. What they didn’t expect was snow – lots of snow. They end up separating. First one group separates and goes following the river. Then another has to separate and stay with the heavier wagons. Then with the remainders, the men separate leaving mostly women and children behind in a crudely made cabin that is made from the lighter weight wagons. There are 8 women and 17 children, including two newborns. They end up eating their oxen until there is no food left and no game nearby to kill. The question is, will there be a rescue party to gather up everyone. If there is, will there be survivors? Will they live through this? That is where you will need to read this book to find out.

One More River to Cross became available for sale September 3, 2019.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.

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