Customer Reviews

Across the Sweet Grass Hills

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gail Jenner has created an intricate and carefully crafted world among a band of the Pikuni Indians in the 1890s. She invites the reader to feel the emotions of a stubborn and independent city girl (Liza) as she encounters the physical and moral challenges of the western frontier. Liza's journey to find herself and understand her heart is a timeless message and one that Jenner captures perfectly. Jenner's attention to historical detail is flawless from the detailed account of how the Pikuni tribe prepared for the winter months to their migratory patterns as the seasons changed. If you are interested in a novel with a plot that will keep you riveted to your seat and wanting for a sequel Gail Jenner's Across the Sweet Grass Hills is a must read.

For those who are huge fans of historical Western romances ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS will be most satisfying as it is romantic & much more. It is a glimpse into how our prejudices are nurtured, our paranoias inflamed, & a view from the other side of the looking glass at a time in our history that was both dreadful & exciting.

Quite well done.

Gail L. Jenner's new work, Across the Sweet Grass Hills, is an innocently mesmerizing novel that takes places in the Montana Territory of the late 1860s and early 1870s.

Reverend Ralston is following his dream to move into the Western frontier to live and preach among the Pikuni Indians, one of the three bands that made up the Blackfoot, of which, according to Jenner, was the most aggressive of the Plains Indians Tribes. Before leaving St. Louis his two sons turned his back on him. His wife died at the last fort they encountered. His spoiled, pampered daughter, Elizabeth, wishes she would die rather than face life among the heathen Indians.

The story opens as Liza, her father, and their guide, Giles, are under attack. But who is actually attacking is unclear. Jenner wants us believe it's Indians, but there is a hint that the attackers are not who the Reverend believes them to be. Giles is mortally wounded and Ralston's condition is critical. Liza fears for his life.

Red Eagle, half white and half Pikuni, happen across the young woman and her wounded father on his way to meet his mother's tribe. He stitches Ralston up and basically saves the day. Red Eagle and Liza each develop feelings for each other, although Liza doesn't understand hers and Red Eagle doesn't act upon his. Liza sends Red Eagle away, a move she is soon to regret as she comes under attack, twice, again. Although there are three full pages of reference materials at the novel's end, the dialogue to stereotypical of a 1950s B movie.

Liza and Red Eagle's adventures to actual commit to one another and to spend their lives together is also stereotypical 1950s Indian adventure story. Yet, I found the novel enjoyable. I knew what was going to happen before it happened, but I didn't care---I just kept reading. Once I got past the naïve innocence of the novel, the biggest problem I had was with the characters' name. There are way too many character names that begin with "R" or "C," which creates confusion for the reader. The main characters are easily identified, but the other characters are easily confused and begin to intertwine with each other. I wish Jenner had dug deeper with her character, but I don't believe that that was her intention. Across the Sweet Grass Hills is well written and flows well. Seems to this reader that Jenner set out to write a feel good, happily-ever-after historical romance, and that's what she did.

Gail Jenner has written a gripping tale of one woman's struggle to survive in an unfamiliar world. It's amazing how easy it is for the reader to become engrossed in this woman's life as she encounters both tragedy and triumph in her quest to discover who she is and what she wants. Even as the last word is read, one cannot help but wish there was more to learn, more to experience, more to challenge the young woman so that the tale would never end. Here's hoping that Gail Jenner has a sequel in the works to engage our minds so that we may, once again, escape into this woman's mesmerizing world.

Gail Jenners book is fabulous. The plot, the characters,the history, the images it places in your head keeps you turning the pages..wanting more and more. A must read....cant wait for her next book...

The author has written a compelling story about a white woman, Elizabeth Ralston, who falls in love with a half-breed, Red Eagle. Historical information is woven seamlessly into the plot, and the story is believable. This novel is more of a love story, rather than a romance. This is an emotional and informative tale that is suitable for teenagers and older.

With three-dimensional characters and passion for her story, Gail Jenner authentically recreates the raw and rugged world of Montana in the late 1800s. - Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick, ALL TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE and NO EYE CAN SEE

Set against an authentic historical background, written by an author with the soul of a poet, this debut historical romance speaks, in a lyrical voice, of a love that transcends the hate, fear, and ugliness of the bloody cultural clash between whites and Native Americans in the late 1860's and early 1870's. - EPPIE Award winning author, Patricia L. White, P.S., I'VE TAKEN A LOVER (Crescent Blues Review)

Gail Jenner's ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS is a love story, and yet to say that touches only the surface of what takes place within the pages of this remarkable book. The words she has written sing, her research is extraordinary, and the plot mesmerizes. - Vella Munn, BLACKFEET SEASON and SOUL OF THE SACRED EARTH (WWW - 2000 Willa Award Nominee)

Based on a true event, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS brings to life a sad reminder of American history...A must read for any lover of the historical American West. - Kim Murphy for the HNR (Historical Novel Review)

ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS is brimming with history, packed with emotion, and told with imagination strong enough to bind it into a fast-paced, memorable tale. - Priscilla Maine, ANGELS UNAWARE

Gail Jenner has taken great pains to portray two cultures accurately...I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance or historical adventure. - Mary Lou Rich, COURTING KATE and THE TOMBOY

Visit for a day the Pikuni, a tribe of Blackfeet living in 1870 Montana, and you'll want to remain a week. Stay the week, and you'll want to dig-in for a month...But be warned, if you do, be willing to share the heartbreak of their lives and be willing to have your own irrevocably changed...Jenner's smooth prose, written deeply from the heart, completely enthralls...Emotionally true and meticulously researched with bibliography, I rate this book 4+ stars. - Meredith Campbell, RIGHTEOUS WARRIORS (a Sime~gen Historical Review)

ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS is a dramatic, fictionalized re-enactment of an actual incident in the history of our country, one that represents a sorry aspect of the westward movement...Through thorough research, Ms. Jenner brings history alive. She recreates a band of the Pikuni (Piegan Blackfeet) and gives us a taste of their lives. - Jane Bowers, Romance Reviews Today

Gail Jenner takes the reader back to a time in the American West when Native Americans live freely and the land was still fresh and untamed. Set during 1869, the unlikely romance between a young white woman and a half-Pikuni man develops midst the backdrop of a turbulent time in America's past... Jenner creates an exciting and beautiful picture into the history of the American West and Native American culture...A well-crafted story, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS tells the poignant story of love that knows no boundaries. - Jennifer Russell, The Romance Reader's Connection

ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS is a wonderful blend of history and romance. The mood and scenery sweep the reader into the time period, and the details and characters keep one turning the pages. - D. Eraldi, SETTLER'S LAW (an Historical Romance Writer's Review)

With a previous interest in the time period but not a regular reader of the romance genre, I was very pleasantly surprised by and for quite a while now enthusiastically recommending Gail Jenner's "Across the Sweet Grass Hills." I would like to do the same here. Give a book that should hopefully be the first in a long line of work from Gail Jenner a try if you are a fan of either historical fiction or romantic adventure.

The story places courageous, beautiful Liza Ralston and heroic half white, half Picuni, Red Eagle into the events leading up to the little known 1870 Marias Massacre. With a very crisp, fast-paced style, the novel details the trials and struggles of the would be lovers from two worlds at war. In fact, the fine, understated writing style and well explicated characters help give the work a satisfyingly authentic flavor and lift the work above standard genre fare. The meticulously researched details further strengthen the book, but never overwhelm the main story line. This is a very skillfully balanced work of realistic details and poignant historical romance that is sure to satisfy readers looking for adventure, looking to learn about a tragic turn of history, or a touching romance set against war and tragedy.

Just to give readers an update on my first
novel: ACROSS THE SWEET
GRASS HILLS has just won the 2002
WILLA award for ORIGINAL PAPERBACK
FICTION, sponsored by Women Writing
the West. Submitted by publishers,
Across the Sweet Grass Hills was up
against an array of outstanding authors
and stories. The winners were selected
by librarians from all over the country, and
I will be receiving a trophy and award at
the annual Women Writing the West
Conference in Denver in October. What
an honor!

And coming in December 2002,
WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY: GOLD
AND DREAMS, a nonfiction 'anecdotal'
history of Siskiyou County, written with
coauthor, Monica Hall. From Arcadia
Publishing, WESTERN SISKIYOU
COUNTY will be available online or in
any bookstore. For anyone who enjoys
California history or history of the West.
The book features more than 130
historical photographs.

Gail Jenner has brought the past to life with her historical accuracy and attention to details. She pulls the reader in with her brilliant portrayal of love, sorrow, betrayal and redemption. I trust there will be more stories from this author. There MUST be!