West Against the Wind [Library Binding]

Liza Ketchum (Author), Liza Ketchum Murrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1987

Fourteen-year-old Abby seeks both her father and the secret of a handsome but mysterious boy during an arduous journey by wagon train from the middle of the country to the Pacific coast in 1850.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The pioneer story, when told as beautifully as it is here, never grows old. In 1850, Abigail Parker sets out with her family from Missouri to meet her father in gold-rush countryCalifornia. Gold fever, "the worst disease of all," her young aunt says, has men and women in its grip. But women, far outnumbered, disadvantaged by the hardships of the trip and often the objects of derision and abuse, stand apart and must also learn to stand together. It's a dynamic context in which to come of age, as Abigail does, falling in love with an admiring, secretive hired hand, Matthew Reed. Nineteenth century sexuality, readers see, is laced with shame and restrictions: perhaps in California, Abigail hopes, she can break free and "be herself, for the very first time." This is a wise, entrancing story with unusually well-defined characters, a strong point of view and a rich web of conflicts. An exceptionally fine debut. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9 It's 1850, and another wagon train is formed to leave Missouri and travel the Overland Trail to gold fields on the Yuba River in California. Actions of the journey are related by Abigail Parker, 14, who is traveling with her mother and brother to join her father. The only other woman in the party is Abby's Aunt Emma, 18 and pregnant. Train members are constantly apprehensive, not only because of dangers along the way, but also because they know the fate of the Donner party, who were snow-trapped at Truckee Lake (now Donner Lake) in the Sierras during the winter of 1846. Narration of events is assigned to Abby, and this shift from the usual male narrator provides a valuable feminine viewpoint of such a journey and such a group: women's work, work, work; Abby's unexpected first menstrual period; the birth of Emma's child; interpersonal relations of all kindssome violent, all decorous; and the climax of the journey, when the group almost suffers the fate of the Donner party. There is little exposition; instead, constant, frequently dangerous, action follows action, and these generate and maintain suspense. Murrow's characters make readers live and share life and concerns on this wagon train travel. George Gleason, Department of English, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 232 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823406687
• ISBN-13: 978-0823406685
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,338,568 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 The Adventure From Independence to Yuba City; Love Story, January 11, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: West Against the Wind (Paperback)

This is an excellent book. You won't want to put it down. Fourteen-year-old Abigail Parker and her family set out on the adventurous trek towards Yuba City to find her loving father and join him in the west. Mr. Parker has caught the "gold fever" but finds California to be a wonderful place and invites his family to come join him. In the middle of a foggy night, Abby was up by herself only to turn around to a charming young man, Mathew Reed. He explains little but soon is welcomed into the wagon train to travel with the Parkers. As Abby gets to know Mathew better, she discovers that there was something very mysterious about him. Why does he keep disappearing? What is he hiding? I found myself wanting to find out the secret Mathew was hiding just as much as Abby.
This risky journey changed Abby for the better. She grows up at an incredible speed in a matter of six months in an endless prairie, burning desert, and the snowy, almost impossible to pass, Sierra Mountains. Will they survive? Will they defeat the wilderness? If you like adventurous love stories, this is a great book for you!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever!, August 15, 2000

By 

Jamie (NM, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: West Against the Wind (Paperback)

This book made me feel as if I were walking along the wagon train with Abby and Matt. It's an adventure that you will want to read over and over again! Not only is it a great love story but it also describes the hard times of the gold rush. This book is very romantic and original and I would recommend it to anyone!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best American tales I've ever read!!, April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: West Against the Wind (Library Binding)

West Against the Wind is one of my favorite books ever. I love the main character, Abby Parker, and the author's descriptions of other charaters are great! This book is a superb action-romance that I'd recommend to anyone. The story has such a fast pace I couldn't put it down. I must have read it at least 15 times!