Customer Reviews

Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility

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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.

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

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.

Jane Kirkpatrick does not abandon her characteristic figures of speech and writing that touches the soul for this nonfiction book. She tells the story of homesteading on Starvation Point, a remote area along the John Day River in Oregon, where life acquires new significance and she realizes her dream of becoming a writer. This book gives evidence that a person's writing comes from his or her life, the experiences and people encountered on the journey of life. Throughout this book one can find the origin of many events and characters in Jane's novels. Her memoir is a well-written story that gives insight into the pursuit of dreams.

Not many people would have the courage to take on what Jane and Jerry do, as chronicled in Homestead by Jane Kirkpatrick. Whether it's shooting rattlesnakes or handling dog seizures, surviving a plane crash or navigating a treacherous road, chasing down run away calves or protecting watermelons from the onslaught of deer, the Kirkpatrick's seem to have faced and conquered it all. Such stories usually make for great fiction. The most startling realization, however, is that this story is real.

Jane recalls everything from the beginning, in this memoir of personal struggle and ultimate triumph. To move to an unbroken land and settle into its rhythms, to find a home among the wilds was a dream that she and her husband shared. More often than not, however, it seemed that this dream was as unmanageable as the road they had to travel just to get there. Everything kept going wrong. From broken machinery to tragedies of a larger scale, the Kirkpatricks found that these events kept drawing them closer to one another. For Jane, the call was to "go to the land and write." And write she did; not only this memoir, but nine novels as well. Settling the land was an adventure and a risk neither of them now regret making.

The book was well written with enough action and personal perspective to keep a reader interested. One can not help but feel Jane's concerns as she watches her husband's vehicle slip desperately close to a cliff edge, as she tries to reach out in the best way she knows how while feeling so inadequate. It isn't within herself or her husband that Mrs. Kirkpatrick finds the strength to carry on. That's the kind of strength she only finds in Christ.

Broken into four parts, the book reads quickly and leaves the reader feeling rejuvenated and wondering, "How on earth did these two manage to do this?" Homestead is a book that challenges while it encourages. It challenges the reader to grasp every day and turn it into something memorable; it encourages to keep eyes focused on the dream, whatever it may be, even when getting to it is tough. This is a good and memorable book for all ages. - Lauren Steigerwald, Christian Book Previews.com

This was an excellent book! very good reading and would be appropriate for anyone. Good story and I loving knowing it is all something that happened!

Recently moved to the land, I was very curious to read Kirkpatrick's move to her own plot of land. I always like these type of stories and seeing how the people who choose this way of life fare or even if they enjoy their choice to move back to the country.

Jane and her husband decide to pursue a dream of moving back to the land and doing a bit of farming. They find a good portion of land in the wilderness and even though its hard to get to and not really built up any way, they decide to move to it. This is a gradual process first seeing them go out to visit and work, then move to a trailer on the property, until finally building their house. They also have to decide how they are going to improve upon the land and what they are going to farm, not to mention secure the funds to do it. They have a lot of setbacks though and homesteading life proves to be very difficult for the Kirkpatricks. More than once they question their decision and whether to stick with it.

Jane is a very good narrator, she tells of people without fogging the opinion of them too much. For instance, her step son and his wife really aren't the greatest of people, but she describes their good aspects as well and her hopes for them. That part of the book is actually very positive despite the subject matter. What did surprise me is that she didn't really mention her husband as much as I expected. He was there doing things, and they had talks at times, but he wasn't a main focus of the book.

I really wish Kirkpatrick had put more positives in this book. There were some parts of the novel where I just kind of set it down and wondered why on earth they strove with it after reading disaster upon disaster with no good instances to be found for several chapters. A more positive outlook would have helped and while I appreciate the reality of struggle, it can't have been all struggle or they wouldn't have stayed. Another note on the writing is that this book could be considered Christian Fiction. Those familiar with Kirkpatrick's fiction work would probably already have known this was her genre, but as a new reader, I did not. It didn't really distract in any way, but since this is her narrative about her life, adds to her belief system and explains her motivations.

It was an interesting tale, harrowing at times and if I wasn't already on the land it would probably make me think twice about getting back to it. However, there are many other books out there that tell the good of such an endeavor so I suppose there must be a book with all the warnings.

Homestead
Copyright 2005
374 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011

Most readers are only familar with the branches of Jane's historical fiction novels. What they don't realize is that "Homestead" is her roots. It's the foundation of her writing career. Homestead is the story of her growth into becoming a woman of survival in the harsh world of pioneering and rebuilding life as she knew it.

What began as a casual meeting at my own wedding turned into a year of my working side by side and living on the remote undeveloped land with Jane and her husband Jerry, building their Homestead from the ground up. At barely 20 years old and a newly wed, I had the pleasure to be involved in this process and get to know this woman that I had only met once. I watched Jane develope into a true pioneer woman as we worked together gathering goose poo to fetilize our little garden, rescued curious doggies from steep rocky cliffs, survived the deep snow drifts on one of our many treks up the reptile road to gather supplies and washed off the days dust in the river. As an outdoor girl myself I had the priviledge to walk beside Jane in her personal journey on becoming a country girl; a true blessing and a memory I'll cherish for a lifetime. If you really want to know who Jane is... you definitely need to read this book.

I liked Homestead mostly do to the time span it covers and that it is obvious she kept a diary and was able to provide some great details on emotion and even little things. I like the saying on the back of the book that seems to convey the spirit within. "I like it here; I just hope we can survive." That and her self described Pollyanna attitude in finding the silver lining in the bad situations.

It was interesting reading about the process of Jane and her husband building their house and the setbacks with rain, mud, bad winters, fires, etc. And nothing quite compares to the story of them breaking their arms and legs, I figured that would do them in for sure. Jane has a wonderful storytelling ability to mix emotion with facts and I must say this book was hard for me to put down.

Jane also has a wonderful humility about their lives and who is really in control, Nature and God. She scatters bible verses throughout the book, but they fit well within the context that they add a nice spice to the book. The only downside to this book is that there aren't enough pictures! All in all, I do recommend this book.

Dawn C.
http://www.frugalforlife.com