Sixteen Brides [Paperback]

Stephanie Grace Whitson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010

Sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising "prime homesteads" in a "booming community." Unbeknownst to them, the speculator's true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledging community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival!

Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men who are waiting for them. These women are going to need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances--especially when they begin to discover that none of them is exactly who she appears to be.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephanie Grace Whitson, bestselling author and two-time Christy Award finalist, pursues a full-time writing and speaking career from her home studio in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Reprinted edition (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205137
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205132
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Writing is something I've always done. . . not something I ever expected to do as a job. Back in the early 1990's when I was home schooling my four children and we began our state history unit, I became fascinated with the lives of the pioneer women who settled the west. Fascination led to research and "playing with imaginary friends." I sent off my first query letter largely as an exercise in anticipated rejection. Much to my amazement, instead of being rejected I was given a three book contract. In hind-sight, I believe God was providing a career for the day when my husband of 28 years would die (of cancer in 2001). I once worried about whether or not I would run out of ideas. Now I am more concerned about picking WHICH stories I should spend my time developing. I'm not going to live forever and I don't want to waste a moment on things that are less than the BEST pursuits.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

154 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Satisfying Read, April 14, 2010

By 

AJHawke.blogspot.com "A J" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sixteen Brides (Paperback)

It is 1872 and sixteen women are lured to Nebraska with the promise of free land, independence, and an opportunity to start over after the devastating loss of their husbands. What they find when they arrive in Plum Grove, Nebraska is a story of hope, new beginnings, forgiveness, and love.

I found the book easy to read but hard to put down, as chores and meals were pushed aside to follow the stories of these brides to the end of the book.

Stephanie Grace Whitson always produces good writing as she carries you along on the journey with these women. Based on historical facts, she weaves the stories of these brides into the landscape of the prairie of Nebraska that leaves one at the end of the story with a nod and sigh of satisfaction.

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sixteen Brides, June 24, 2010

By 

Lollipops "lollipops5" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sixteen Brides (Paperback)

Sixteen women, widowed by the war, are enticed by the promises of free land in the Nebraska territory. All they have to do is live on the land for five years. Since they all have things they want to escape, they catch the train with the land agent, and go west. But then they discover that all is not as it seemed. The land agent had collected money from men and promised that these war widows would be their brides.

Seven of these women had no intentions of being anyone's bride. They'd come west for the land. And they were determined to make it work. With Ella's planning, they devised a plan where they could all stay together and yet form four different homesteads.

There these seven women make their stakes on the land and on the hearts of the town. As they struggle to survive in an unforgiving land, will they find more than what they came for?

SIXTEEN BRIDES is by far the best historical I've read by Ms. Whitson. I totally loved this story, the seemingly seamless way the points of view of five women and two men were woven into it and excitement that lit the pages.

All of these characters were touched by death, yet the deaths were not portrayed in the pages of the book. The characters were ready to move on, to battle the demons that tormented them, and to start making changes in their lives. I really enjoyed this book, and if you are looking for a good historical, then you won't want to miss SIXTEEN BRIDES. It is a wonderful read.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasantly Charming Post-War story!, April 5, 2010

By 

"ReviewsByMolly" "Molly Edwards, auth... (Willow Spring,NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sixteen Brides (Paperback)

One of my favorite kind of books! HISTORICAL! YAY! I absolutely loved this book! Although, I must say, in the beginning, keeping up with SIXTEEN women was rather overwhelming. But, by the end of the story, I wasn't quite so overwhelmed and was truly pleased with this after-war story.

Stephanie Grace Whitson has just became an author that I have add to my favorites list. She has true talent and researched enough to make this story feel real. I felt as though I was a war widow, stepping into a whole new town for a whole new adventure. I was captured from the beginning and quickly befriended all these amazing brides, and I was held til the very last page. This was a simple read, though, as I said, a bit overwhelming in the beginning. The author created a story full of humor, charm, wit, and God in such a way that, even though in the beginning there were so many different characters, it wasn't jumpy or confusing.

I highly recommend this book with 5 stars, especially if you love historicals and well created characters. I will be looking forward to many more books by Stephanie!

Many thanks to Bethany House and CFBA for my review copy!