A clearing in the wild A novel

Here begins another of Kirkpatrick's trilogies about the settlement of Oregon, this one set in the early 1850s. At stage center is a restless young female, Emma Wagner, in the midst of a quiet, then not so quiet, rebellion against the world of men. First up, there's the dour patriarch of Emma's religious colony, who thinks that childbirth is God's punishment to women for original sin. But Emma is clever and marries the colony's number-two man, Christian Giesy. Though pregnant, she manages to accompany Christian on the hazardous trail from Bethel, Missouri, to the coast of Oregon, where the patriarch has determined the colony should move. Along the way, Emma develops her own theology: colonies may not be such a good idea; good neighbors and equality of the sexes are better ones. The sequels will no doubt treat what the patriarch thinks of all this. --John Mort Copyright 2006 Booklist

Emma Wagner's conformist 1850s Missouri community strives to be a utopian haven, but it frowns upon dissent, especially from women. After marrying its second in command, Christian Giesy, Emma and her husband lead a small party to the Pacific Northwest, where their authoritarian leader, Wilhelm Keil, has sent them to scout a new location for their colony. Emma's opinions on the place of women and colony life are at odds with Keil's, and eventually she tries to influence her husband to break away from the larger group. Readers will identify with Emma's struggles; fans of Westerns with female protagonists will appreciate the well-developed characters. The book may also appeal to fans of Beverly Lewis's Annie's People and Abram's Daughters series. Kirkpatrick, author of the Kinship and Courage and Tender Ties series, lives in eastern Oregon. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.