I didn't dislike this book exactly but im giving it two stars because while interesting I dont think I actually enjoyed it much. I am not religious, in fact I would go so far as to say I'm anti religion (specifically Christianity) so I mostly read this because I had liked the other books by the author. And even though I'm not Christian the puritan roots of the country I live in are still around today so reading and thinking about that was genuinely interesting.

This book is eventful and engaging but its also A LOT. The journey the characters undertake is brutal and grisly. Pretty sure half the named characters are dead by the end of it. I guess check it out if you are interested in how wrong wagon trains could go and don't mind reading about peoples body parts being removed?

Content warning for all that dying and also for mentions of CSA in the form of a teenager who used to be a survival sex worker. ( )

True Sisters is told through the stories of four pioneer women in the Martin Handcart Company. It begins as they are leaving Iowa City in the summer of 1856 and tells the story of a group of Mormon settlers that left too late in the season through to their rescue on the trail and arrival in Salt Lake City. The women reach out to help each other through the journey.

Nannie is traveling with her sister and brother-in-law after being abandoned by her sweetheart, who is also a member of the company. Louisa is married to an overbearing church leader that she believes speaks for God. Jessie, is traveling with her brothers, each one of them dreaming of the farm they will have in Zion. And finally, there's Anne, who hasn't converted to Mormonism but who has no choice but to follow her husband since he has sold everything to make the trip to Utah.

Sandra Dallas writes that in researching this book, she read available journals from members of the Martin Handcart Company, other books and resources about the company and European converts to the LDS Church. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did but I found the story of strong women who found the way to go on through loss, starvation, and tragedy to be quite compelling. She brings a group of women to life on these pages and avoids political pronouncements about the LDS church. The author documented an interesting and often-overlooked chapter of westward expansion and helps us see it through the eyes of those who lived it.


TBR 1304 ( )

I always learn something when I read one of Sandra Dallas's historical fiction. The last two books of hers I have read I have really enjoyed. This was a story of hardship, heartbreak and survival. I didn't know much about the Mormon's using handcarts to cross to Utah. This was a really good read. ( )

I'll be nice and give it 2.5 stars but truly, not a book for me.

It's historical fiction regarding the journey of recently converted Mormons to the Zion. They travel to the US and walk from Iowa City to Salt Lake City, pushing handcarts of their limited possessions through the heat of the prairies and the snow of the mountains. I believe the author's intension was to have a novel showing the strengths of the women in the story but truly, all the negativity within the story overshadowed it. I am not Mormon (and neither is the author) but throughout the book, I found it to be quite insulting to their faith. Granted, the novel takes place during the early years of the religion where there were many issues with it such as polygamy, but I didn't feel any of the positives of the religion were represented and I'm sure there were some even back then. After all, the religion did survive and is quite a strong faith.

The other issue I found was that it seemed repetitive at times. It needed the storylines to vary a little more or just cut some of it out. ( )

Sandra Dallas writes stories that feature woman’s history and that history often occurs in the American West. In True Sisters she tells of the Mormons and her focus in on the incredible handcart treks that crossed the American plains and mountains in 1856. The last group, the Martin Company left Iowa City in late July and encountered terrible weather conditions and hardships, of the 575 people on this trek somewhere between 135 to 170 perished.

In this novel the individual stories of some of the women on that trek are told and she brings to life both the women and the ordeal that they faced. Although the author drew on first hand accounts, her characters are fictional but she certainly is able to describe and make sense of their religion, their hopes, fears and some of the controversy that surrounded this event. Although most of these women were new converts to the religion and did not agree with the idea of plural marriages, it often made more sense to them once they had experienced the severity of carving a life out of this difficult environment and learning that sometimes the comfort and friendship of other women could make life easier. I thought the author dealt quite fairly with this issue, showing both the good and the ugly side of plurality.

I found True Sisters a fascinating and moving story as these people struggled to survive and reach a place where they hoped to have a new life of religious freedom and prosperity. ( )