River of Sky (Signet Fiction, Ar 8490) [Paperback]

Karen Harper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995 | Series: Signet Fiction, Ar 8490

Surviving her disloyal late husband with nothing but a riverboat, some debts, and the determination to never let a man get close to her again, widow Kate Craig meets two enticing men who encourage her to reconsider. Reprint. PW. K.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Imagine Kate Craig's surprise and disillusionment when, at the funeral of her husband, a St. Louis riverboat captain and Indian trader of the early 19th century, she learns that he had another wife, a Mandan Indian named Blue Wing. Kate forms a fast friendship with the woman, however, inviting Blue Wing to move in with her and her son. With the strength that her first real female friendship brings, she gradually picks up the pieces of her life, revives her husband's riverboat trade and becomes romantically involved with a passionate half-breed. Each woman helps the other in times of need and each teaches the other about her own culture. Despite a potentially engaging scenario and admirable themes of interracial harmony and sisterhood, Harper's ( The Wings of Morning ) prose is marred by cliches. Her considerable research into Jacksonian America provides engrossing verisimilitude, however, and interesting plot twists should keep readers engrossed. First serial to Good Housekeeping.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The sudden death of trader Clive Craig leaves his wife, Kate, with two unpleasant surprises: massive debts and a second wife, a Mandan Indian named Blue Wing. Abandoned by polite St. Louis society, Kate befriends Blue Wing and recruits a crew to sail them upriver on her husband's remaining boat. En route she must choose between the attention of a naturalist, who offers a secure life, and Rand, the son of an Indian woman and a trapper. Rand's determination to help his mother's people encourages Kate's own desire to deal fairly with the Mandan. Her admiration for them grows, despite her repugnance regarding some of their customs and ceremonies. Set in 1835, and featuring as villains white men intent on economic gain and the destruction of Native peoples, this novel requires readers to accept Kate's rapid transformation from dependent wife to crusading, successful entrepreneur and Mandan champion. That accomplished, they can enjoy a satisfying romance set in a time and culture long vanished but still fascinating.
Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Signet (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451184904
• ISBN-13: 978-0451184900
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written book, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: River of Sky (Signet Fiction, Ar 8490) (Paperback)

I first came across this book as a story in a magazine. I enjoyed reading it so much I intended to go to the bookstore and buy it, but I never got around to it. Then 4 years later I came across that magazine again boxed up with some books and papers. I flipped through it until I found the story "River of Sky" and right then I looked the book up here on Amazon.com. Karen Harper has done a great job of weaving in the fictional characters so they fit into the story with the actual historical characters that lived in that day. The book had lots of nice twists, but also a great story. This is a book about self-discovery, following your dreams and your heart, and also about a tribe of Native Americans called the Mandan. Some of the actual historical events included in the book about the Native Americans are indeed very sobering, and sad. If you like books with romance, adventure and enjoy reading about the Native Americans in the early days of the frontier I recommend it to you.