Westering Women - by Sandra Dallas (Paperback)

About the Book

"From the bestselling author of Prayers for Sale, an inspiring celebration of sisterhood on the perilous Overland Trail "If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?" It's February, 1852, and all around Chicago, Maggie sees the postings soliciting "eligible women" to travel to the gold mines of Goosetown. A young seamstress with a small daughter and several painful secrets, she has nothing to lose. So she joins forty-three other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west. None of them are prepared for the hardships they face on the trek through the high plains, mountains, and deserts, or for the triumphs of finding strengths they did not know they possessed. And not all will make it. As Maggie gets to know the other women, she soon discovers that she's not the only one looking to leave dark secrets behind. And when her past catches up with her, it becomes clear a band of sisters will do whatever it takes to protect one of their own"--

Book Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Prayers for Sale, Sandra Dallas's Westering Women is an inspiring celebration of sisterhood on the perilous Overland Trail

"Exciting novel ... difficult to put down." --Booklist

"If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?"

It's February, 1852, and all around Chicago, Maggie sees postings soliciting "eligible women" to travel to the gold mines of Goosetown. A young seamstress with a small daughter, she has nothing to lose. She joins forty-three other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west.

None are prepared for the hardships they face on the trek or for the strengths they didn't know they possessed. Maggie discovers she's not the only one looking to leave dark secrets behind. And when her past catches up with her, it becomes clear a band of sisters will do whatever it takes to protect one of their own.

Review Quotes

"Wrenching and uplifting..." --The Denver Post

"Exhilarating and hard to resist." --Katherine Powers, The Washington Post

"Dallas has written an engaging historical fiction about the strength of women in times of adversity." --Library Journal

"Dallas focuses on a motley group of women who form a bond traveling to California on the Overland Trail... Readers will enjoy this modern take on the journey West that's rife with girl power." --Publisher's Weekly

"A great historical fiction novel with strong female characters that come together and form a bond ... A true testament to their survival. " --Red Carpet Crash

"The story is a heartwarming and at the same time, sorrowful, tale of the power of friendship, trust, and family. A wonderful read for lovers of historical fiction! ... The characters, the sense of camaraderie and adventure, and the unity of the women. Take this perilous trip to the California goldfields with this group of 44 women." --the novel gnome

"Female bonding in the nineteenth century had dangers unique to the era. Maggie's 'unsuitable' friendships, forged over shared hardships and the impossibility of returning home, make this exciting novel difficult to put down." --Jeanne Greene, Booklist

About the Author

Award-winning author Sandra Dallas was dubbed "a quintessential American voice" by Jane Smiley in Vogue. She's the author of several novels--including The Bride's House, Whiter Than Snow, The Persian Pickle Club, and Tallgrass--which have been translated into a dozen languages and optioned for film. She has won the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Wrangler Award, the Western Writers of America Spur Award, and the Women Writing the West Willa Award multiple times. She lives in Colorado.