Customer Reviews

West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi, New York to Idaho Territory, 1883 (Dear America)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the spring of 1883, fourteen-year-old Teresa Viscardi and her large Italian-American family, which includes her, her younger brother and sister, her parents, her aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandmother, leave their home in New York City and decide to head west to Idaho to participate in the founding of a utopian community. The community is to be called Opportunity, but Teresa isn't of the feeling that the west is filled with opportunity. She wants to return to New York City, where her friends and home are. Instead, she's stuck, first on a crowded train, and then on a covered wagon caravan, with her annoying family, of which her grandmother and sister are the most annoying. Nanna is stubbornly traditional, and pesky Netta reads Teresa's private diary. But when tragedy strikes, Teresa realizes how much her family means to her, and she may be the only one who can save them from disaster. I highly reccomend this excellant addition to the Dear America series. It's a great read if you like historical fiction, stories about pioneer life, or the other books in the series.

Though this wasn't really a historical event, something may of happened like this. The writer mentions that between 1870-1900 was when most communities were being born, so that's the main idea of the story. This is about Teresa Angelino Viscardi, a 14 year old Italian Immigrant. She travels with her large family on a train and by wagon all the way to Idaho territory. But the journey is not easy. It is FAR from easy. They cross a river and two girl's from another wagon drown. Then the saddest thing happens! But you have to read it of course. This diary was so well written I kept thinking that Teresa and Netta, her little sister, who you come to love, were real. This is another powerfully emotionaly and exciting, and truthful Dear America Diary. Keep up the good work Dear America writers! We can't wait for more. Even though this book is sad, you MUST READ IT! Sniffle, sniffle, sob, sob. :(But most of the journey was :)

"West to a Land of Plenty" was a great book, in an 1880's diary form, on a 14 year-old Italian American girl, Teresa.

Teresa lives in a crowded, New York neighborhood with her family, when her father suddenly decides to take the family west, to a new community called Opportunity. With that decision, Teresa's changes just begin!

Going west by train and wagon is exciting to Teresa, but she is also very sad to leave her school and friends. Her pesky little sister, Netta, also gets on her nerves, and Teresa constantly tries to hide her diary from her! When Teresa begins to make friends, however, she finds that things might not be so bad, but then disaster strikes...

This was a great book, and a must read for anyone aged 10 and up! Be sure to also read "Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie", and "The Great Railroad Race", two other "Dear America" novels.

When I started the book I wasn't too pleased. I found Teresa hard to understand. I thought it was cute about Netta but didn't think that this story would compare to the other books in the serries. Then I read the end...I won't tell you it because it shocked me so very much that I had to read it twice and that made it better. The ending is so well written that I was in tears. And to the person who wrote the first review READ THE END! It so well done and so unbelieveable that I'm crying just writting the review!

Leave behind your possessions, home, friends, and family. Has that ever been asked of you? The reality of her situation is realized by Teresa Viscardi. When her father and uncle decide that it is best for their families to leave their homes in New York's Little Italy, they travel to Idaho to start their new lives. Jim Murphy who wrote West to a Land of Plenty incorporates colorful characters like Teresa's sister, mother, father, and grandmother. They all help each other on the way to their new homes. While on the road to Idaho, Teresa and her family not only meet new people, but also face sickness and death. They learn to cope with loss in many different ways. This book is really interesting because it is in the form of a diary and if you love historical fiction, definitely put this book on your to read list. I highly recommend West to a Land of Plenty.

This was one of the most enjoyable books in the Dear America series.

Fourteen-year-old Teresa Viscardi, while on a history-making trek West to "Opportunity", still experiences ordinary things. She tries to keep her nosy little sister Netta away from her diary, she makes a new best friend, takes care of her baby brother Tomas, and gets a crush on the handsome John Anderson.

Then everything changes when Teresa's father and uncle leave the trail and go off on a "get-rich-quick" scheme. One of her brothers, Ernesto, falls deathly ill. With her grandmother, Teresa goes in search of her father, and finds him. They travel back to the wagon to find that Ernesto is fine, but one of her other family members has passed away from the same illness.

Teresa now addresses her diary to her lost loved one, and it helps her to handle her grief.

I liked how realistic this book was--instead of having a, "everything was just fine and great" type ending, the 3 page epilouge tells how the family arrived at their destination and made a home for themselves by hard work, and how Teresa, after some years of schoolteaching, finds her true love not to be John Anderson but a man she meets in Opportunity.

In the spring of 1883, fourteen-year-old Teresa Viscardi and her large Italian-American family leave their home in New York City and head west to Idaho to participate in a new community called Opportunity. However Teresa hates the ides. She wants to return to New York City, where everything is familiar and orderly. Instead, she's on a crowded train, and then on a covered wagon caravan, with her annoying family. She most despises her younger sister Netta for always reading her diary. But when tragedy strikes, Teresa realizes how much her family means to her. Since at that time her father was away because of a gold strike Teresa may be the only one who can save her big family from all parishing. This was another great book and full of details on the hardships of the journey west and the hopes of one young girl!

I liked it! in this book, Teresa Angelino Viscardi and her family are going west to the Idaho Tereitory by train and wagon. It was a sad and happy story. I liked the way Teresa AND Antoinetta wrote in the Diary so you got the story from two point of veiws.

This was a wonderful book, one of the best I have ever read. It told the story of a young girl who travels west to Idaho in the year 1883 through her diary. This was a wonderful insight into life long ago, but more then that, it was a story of a young girl growing up despite facing terrible hardships daily. This is one of the most touching stories I have ever read.

Very exciting story about a girl and her Italian-American family's train ride to the Idaho Territory. I enjoyed reading about Teresa and her large family. They seemed very realizic especially the nosy little sister.