Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility [Paperback]

Jane Kirkpatrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2005

Joining her husband in the fight to create a home out of a rugged stretch of sagebrush, rattlesnakes, and sand in eastern Oregon, Jane Kirkpatrick uneasily relinquishes the security of a professional career; the convenience of electricity, running water, and a phone line; and, perhaps most daunting, the pleasures of sporting a professional manicure. But the pull of the land is irresistible, and they dream of gathering their first harvest from a yet-to-be-planted vineyard.

Rather than the simple life they had envisioned, Jane and Jerry find themselves confronting flood and fire, government bureaucracies, and runaway calves, among other disheartening setbacks. Jane frequently questions the sanity of pioneering in this remote area, known as Starvation Point, and she fights against panic with each trip down the seven-mile, boulder-strewn, rut-carved “driveway” she calls “the reptile road,” which threatens to spill them into the ravine with every lurch of the truck.

But as she learns to navigate her new life, this novice rancher discovers that disappointment, isolation, and danger can’t compete with the generosity of their rural community, the strength of family bonds, and the faithfulness of the God who planted in their hearts the dream of carving a refuge out of an inhospitable land.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Although this volume is nonfiction, its primary audience will be readers of Kirkpatrick's inspirational fiction. In 1982, Kirkpatrick and her husband bought 160 acres along the John Day River in eastern Oregon, thinking they would retreat to the simple life. Drought, accidents, battles with rattlesnakes, loneliness, and financial duress followed, but so did a marvelous life. Fans of Kirkpatrick's novels about pioneers will be charmed to see that the author has experienced a lot of the hardships she writes about. But any American can respond to a memoir such as this, about the dream that for most remains a dream. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and nine novels, including A Name of Her Own and the acclaimed Kinship and Courage series. Jane is a winner of the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center and National Cowboy Hall of Fame. A licensed clinical social worker as well as an inspirational retreat leader and speaker, she lives with her husband still on those 160 acres in eastern Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (October 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400070619
• ISBN-13: 978-1400070619
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you'd like more information about me, please come visit my website at www.jkbooks.com and click on my blog. My dog also has a blog and you can find out what it's like to be Bodacious Bo, too. A monthly newsletter called Story Sparks is my way of sharing books about authors I enjoy as well as commenting on life and love. You'll find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know! You
One item not listed on my lists of books is my selection included in an anthology called "Crazy Woman Creek: Women Rewrite the American West" published by Houghton Mifflin I also have a piece in Storytellers II, a book published a few years ago by Multnomah Press and a few short selections in Daily Guideposts of a few years back. My first novella, "The Courting Quilt" is part of a collection that made the New York Times bestsellers this past September in a collection called Log Cabin Christmas. The rest of my writing, as they say, is history. Or it was until my first contemporary came out this fall. Called Barcelona Calling, it's the story of a writer who loses her way as she seeks fulfillment thinking she'll find it with fame. It's a laugh out loud book according to reviewers. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Dry, Hard Soil, June 13, 2006

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility (Paperback)

Jane Kirkpatrick's writing carries with it the spirit of the pioneers. "Homestead" chronicles the Kirkpatricks' effort as a married couple to carve out a living from the dry, hard soil of eastern Oregon. They rough it as they go along, working toward a suitable well, a home with an actual foundation, and a road that doesn't rattle their teeth from their jaws.

A fitting testimony to the stubborn stamina and ingenuity of modern pioneers--and a bracing reminder of what our forbears went through--this book is also a heartwarming look into the meaning of family, faith, and friendship. Jane's love of life shines through every chapter, and yet there is no glossing over the troubles, large or small. This is an honest account of the price one pays to pave his or her own way.

While straightforward and economical, "Homestead" is a book that breathes with the fires of imagination and good humor. Jane's writing qualifies this story as a modern masterpiece. My wife and I read some of the chapters aloud to one another, and at a few points we were laughing to the point of tears; at others, we were moved to prayers of thankfulness for our creature comforts and to quiet hugs of love. This is a book for all to enjoy, and one that'll be read for years to come.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five star book and writer...Homestead, October 1, 2006

By 

Judy Burnett "Avid Reader" (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility (Paperback)

This was the first book By Jane that I read. I was so impressed with her story and her writing that I immediately went out and bought her next trilogy. Upon reading the first of those books which I found as interesting, entertaining and historically accurate that I immediately went and bought every book she has ever written and am waiting for the next one.

This from a reader that doesn't read frilly stuff. It has to have substance and thought and be presented in a way that can keep you awake after a hard day of overtime.

Judy Burnett
Salt Lake City

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homestead, February 15, 2006

By 

Jane Prowant "Book worm" (Williamsburg, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility (Paperback)

This is the kind of book that will keep you up late at night so you can finish the book. Jane Kirkpatrick does an excellant job describing the problems they had building their home in the middle of nowhere. Her description of the country side leaves you being able to picture their entire Homestead. This is one book I know I will advise friends to read. I hope Ms. Kirkpatrick writes a follow-up book to this one.