Tuesday, July 3, 2012

These Is My Words by Nancy E Turner

I picked up These Is My Words after reading about it on The Sweetest Bookshelf's post on 10 books she considers the new classics. Her enthusiasm for These Is My Words along with the statement that "women everywhere should read it" made me put it on hold at the library. I have to thank Mary at The Sweetest Bookshelf for sharing about this wonderful book. I really enjoyed the story.
These Is My Words is told in diary format. At the beginning Sarah and her family are leaving their home in the New Mexico Territories and heading to San Angelo. Sarah is seventeen when the story starts and goes til she's in her late twenties. We see Sarah travel back and forth through the Arizona Territories and New Mexico Territories. The family goes through many hardships and we see Sarah grow from a child to a young woman. I could see how hard it was for folks back then. Traveling on a dusty road for months trying to get to their new homes. There was plenty of fear, fear of getting sick, running into Native Americans or bandits, fear of losing what you brought with you. But there was camaraderie among the travelers. Often people would share supplies or barter for supplies. Others would help when a child fell ill. I enjoyed the stories about Sarah's time on the road the most. Although I also enjoyed hearing about when her family settled and how they built their home.
Not only is a coming of age story but a romance as well. I enjoyed how that romance developed so I'll be vague about the gentleman in question. I enjoyed how the romance built up throughout the book. Everything took time which I appreciated. Even when Sarah turn eighteen she's still very much a child. She grows up slowly, partly due to all the traveling but also because Sarah's got a gentle soul. Sarah loves her family and does everything she can to make sure they are safe. Even though I thought of her a child for much of the book, Sarah does some unchildlike things to make sure those she loves are safe. I loved watching Sarah develop. Sarah was definitely a character that will stay with me.
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading These Is My Words, please find time to change that.  This is the first in a trilogy that I will be continuing. Others who shared their thoughts on These Is My Words: Reading for Sanity, A Book Blog. Period, and One Librarian's Book Reviews.
This was my second read for the Western Genre Challenge.

3 comments:

  1. This is my favorite book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. The others in the series are well worth reading also.

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  2. Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Sarah is a fantastic character, isn't she?

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  3. Now this one as my attention!! Great review!

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