The Memory Weaver

Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now the young mother of two children, Eliza faces a different kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants them to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her departed mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Eliza longs to know how her mother, an early missionary to the Nez Perce Indians, dealt with the challenges of life with a sometimes difficult husband and with her daughter's captivity.

When Eliza is finally given her mother's diary, she is stunned to find that her own memories are not necessarily the whole story of what happened. Can she lay the dark past to rest and move on? Or will her childhood memories always hold her hostage?

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. Readers will find themselves 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 Opinion:

 What a remarkable story!!

Jane Kirkpatrick has penned a story that takes you back to the pioneer days along the Clearwater River in the Oregon Territory.  This story is based on a true account of the life of Eliza Spalding Warren, the daughter of Henry and Eliza Hart Spalding who were early missionaries before the Cayuse uprising.  We follow the life and trials of this young lady as recorded in her memoirs and interpreted by this author.  She does an excellent job of using imagery to convey the area and pioneer life.  

The opening sentence,

"My earliest memory is of laughter inside a waterfall of words."

aptly shows the gift Jane Kirkpatrick has for weaving words and bringing the characters to life.  Her characters are very detailed and perceptive.  The story accurately portrays pioneer life realistically, authentically and with accuracy.  

I liked Eliza Spalding Warren and Andrew Warren. Both are very unique characters who are flawed, but somehow seem to provide the strength the other needs to endure the trials of life.  This book consists of a huge cast of characters, but it primarily centers around Eliza Spalding Warren and the journal kept by her mother until her death.

 

I did enjoy this story, but I was not pulled in immediately.  This story contains history, romance, mystery, forgiveness and faith.  The message I received from this story was one of faith. 

This was my first Jane Kirkpatrick book to read, but it won't be my last.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical reads.  

I received this book from the publisher for a honest review without bias or outside influence as stated above and I thank them for this opportunity.   

Meet Jane:

  

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Here's Jane's insight to the book:

The Memory Weaver asks the question...how does trauma affect a marriage and a mother and a life and how do we allow love to transform a memory to bring wisdom rather than despair? What role can friends and family play in helping another heal from a tragedy? How much are friends and family affected by disasters experienced by someone they loved? Set in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and the land where Eliza was once held captive, this is the story of memory and how what we remember isn't always what really happened. This story will remind us all that love is more powerful than the fiercest tragedy and that we often judge ourselves harshly over things we cannot change. Forgiveness is a journey we can make together.