Review: A real-life look at where our lives began
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 8, 2011
It begins with Josh Bonner walking across the land, a humble beginning to the trek he and a wagon train of pioneers are about to embark upon.  Set in the 1800s this story is rich with detail about the life our ancestors led before capitalism filled our plots of land with bright plastic buildings like a Monopoly board.  These initial chapters introduce you to the cast of characters for this novel, which has a plot painted on a canvas as expansive as the dreams of Josh Bonner.For me the story began to ripen, as all good stories do, with the introduction of the girl, Elizabeth.  This is not a blushing, modest young frontier gal.  This break in stereotype lifts the novel beyond the normal frontier saga and takes it into fresh territory.  The exchange at the river with Josh and Elizabeth pulls the sexual tension taught, and the wagons crossing the roaring river is an epic scene that plays out in your mind as well as any movie.For me the scene stealer was the meeting with the Indians between Josh and the scout, Delacroix.  A tense, tightly written scene where we feel the fear of the era, the danger of these chance meetings, and better still, experience a turning point for a young boy in a wild land.Fans of westerns and early American dramas will love this story.  Fans of good stories should pull on their boots and come along for the ride as well.Each offering's chapters are clearly marked, and each has a sneak preview of what's to come in the next installment.