Customer Reviews

Letters to Oma: A Young German Girl's Account of Her First Year in Texas, 1847 (Chaparral Books)

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

 

 

This story, as told from the eyes of a young girl from Germany, gives a fairly accurate account of what life may have been like for a family immigrating to Texas in 1847. It is appropriate for all ages and backgrounds, but is particularly interesting to the Germans who established themselves in Texas. As I read it, I related to the language, customs, and locations presented in the story. I am eager for my father to read it. His mother might well have written the story herself.

This novella follows the voyage of a young teenager and her family from Germany to Texas in 1847, and their first year of pioneer life. The story is told in third person fiction and letters that Tina writes to her grandmother (Oma) still in Germany.

This is a nice enough story and is informative about the history of German settlers in Texas, unfortunately, it pales in comparison to Ingalls The Complete Little House Nine-Book Set and I found it hard to identify with or care about the characters. But it could certainly hold its own against some of the American Girls books - this was published long before that series existed.

I was expecting actual letters and commentary. This is a book written not just at a young person's level, but also for young people. As an adult looking for serious information on the subject of German settlement of Texas in 1847 - I was dissapointed. Perhaps a simple label of "Fiction" would be nice.

Apart from that - the story is interesting and well written and I would recommend it to people of any age interested in this subject. Don't expect a scholarly account and hard facts, this is fiction but fun.

From the item description, which lists this book as a biography, I assumed it was actually a non-fiction book. Unfortunately, it is just a mere work of fiction which has only the slightest ties to historical fact. In fact, the Library of Congress cataloging data inside the book shows that the book is a work of fiction. There is also no mention that this is a book written for young adults. So, from a genealogist's point of view this book serves very little purpose, since anyone can pull a few facts and figures together from the historical record and come up with a story about someone who didn't exist.

Coming from a German-Texan background, when I saw this book, I didn't think twice about purchasing it. Flipping through the first pages, I was delighted to see that it was told in narrative form and hoped that it would have a delightful story with historically accurate details peppering the story. In some ways, the book held true to those hopes, but unfortunately, no. A pervasive tone of sentimentalism in the author's voice took an exciting string of events in the fictional life of a young girl and made it almost indigestible. Halfway through the book, I fell to dozing, then made myself finish the read only to cringe and groan as the painfully overdone passages became more frequent and increased in length. The illustrations also did the book no favors, ranging from disturbing (see the page where the family falls into a river) to simply lifeless.

If I were to sum up the book in word, I'd call it "quaint". If you're okay with that, read on, but if you're looking for believable characters to match a believable background, look elsewhere.

As a genealogist, my paternal ancestors came from Germany through Texas. Reading this book, I can associate with their lives and hardships coming to America.

I should give it more, but it's fictional, and I like true tales of the past. It's fairly short and somewhat colorful. You get a brief taste of what it would have been like for a German family to make the trek to Texas in the old days of the west. The boat trip alone would have killed most of us. It's a nice story, but I like the Laura Ingalls Wilder books better.