"The Good Journey," by Micaela Gilchrist

"The Good Journey," by Micaela Gilchrist

Inspired by actual letters, The Good Journey breathes life into history with a richly imagined chronicle of twenty tumultuous years in the marriage of two American pioneers.


Strong-willed Southern belle Mary Bullitt abandons her life of luxury in Louisville, Kentucky, when she marries General Henry Atkinson and accompanies him to his outpost on the Mississippi. Nothing has prepared her for marriage to this attractive older man -- or for the realities of frontier living. Conditions are primitive, Mary knows virtually nothing about her husband, and the threat of attack from Indians is constant. A rough and resourceful general, Henry is engaged in a long and historic clash with a great Native American leader, and his deeply conflicted feelings about Indians mirror those he and his wife have for each other.


In the tradition of Willa Cather and Edna Ferber, Micaela Gilchrist has crafted an exciting novel that is at once a love story and an action-packed depiction of the struggle for the West.


Their are many facets to this book and due to that this book will appeal to a number of people.


If you're interested in the history of the early 1800's in America this book is full of that.  The history of what happened to the Native Americans during this period is something everyone should know about.


The romance section of this book is not a huge feature but it is there all along intertwined within this story.  The mystery side of this book kind of took me by surprise and I wonder if you'll figure out the connection of one incident to another, I know I didn't.


It also shows you how it is easy to jump to conclusions and it can cause pain and jealousy when it needn't have.  


The characters in this book were all believable and you can't help love Mary's spirit and determination.


Stars out of 5 : 4 well worth the read, just found the military side of the book a little wordy.