The Memory Weaver by Jane Kirkpatrick

Title: The Memory Weaver

Author: Jane Kirkpatrick

Pages: 336

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Genre: Historical (1850s)

Publisher: Revell

Format: Paperback

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the book:

     Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now a mother of two, Eliza faces a new kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her mother’s grave – and returning to the land of her captivity.

     Haunted by memories and hounded by struggle, Eliza longs to know how her mother dealt with the trauma of their ordeal. As she searches the pages of her mother’s diary, Eliza is stunned to find that her own recollections tell only part of the story.

     Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick’s latest literary journey into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman’s heart. Get swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past.

My review:

     This is an interesting historical novel.

     This is the first book I have ever read by Jan Kirkpatrick. I really liked the character development in this book. I also enjoyed the fact that as the story progressed many of the characters matured in how they handled things that came up.

     It was a great look at how childhood trauma can affect a person for years to come. It was a little bit of a revelation to see how simple things were able to cause flashbacks.

     I had a little bit of trouble with how short segments of Eliza Spalding’s (the mother) diary were inserted. I didn’t see any reference as to someone reading the diary to explain their presence in the story. Each time that I came to one of them I had to stop and remind myself of the connection before I could read it. This was the only real disadvantage for me but it is the reason that I have chosen to give this book only 4 stars.

     I am still recommending this novel because it takes a look at a true story and I found it to be a compelling telling of it.