Jane Kirkpatrick's A Tendering in the Storm ~ Reviewed

Title: A Tendering in the Storm
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
ISBN: 978-1-57856-735-5

Emma Giesy is part of a repressive religious community that moves west in the 1850’s with the promise of new life offered by the Oregon Territories. But new life means independence to Emma, and she is willing to stand in defiance of the community to achieve her dream. That independence comes at a cost with isolates Emma and drives her into choices that threaten her life and the family she fights to protect.

Jane Kirkpatrick’s A Tendering in the Storm is based on a true story, and in it, Kirkpatrick has woven the threads of Emma’s life into a touching novel which leads us along life’s journey with a woman whose actions are often clouded by her own interpretations.

But Emma is not the only one who misjudges others. As the community struggles to build a fledgling town in a rugged land, Emma fights to build her own life out of an unforgiving wilderness. Choices, both good and bad, are made, and Emma and the community must work to live with, or change, the consequences.

While the historical and cultural details make are delightful, the reader will most often be struck by the fact that Emma’s choices are not that different from those we each must face in our lives today.

Reviewer: Marjorie Smith