This book is a historical work based on real events which covers parts of the the most brutal and devastating blizzard that ever occurred on January 1This book is a historical work based on real events which covers parts of the the most brutal and devastating blizzard that ever occurred on January 12, 1888 in Nebraska that would become known as "The Children's Blizzard". The story follows the lives of four central characters Raina and Gerda Olsen who are young teenage schoolteachers, Annette a ten year old unwanted servant child who has never experienced true love ir happiness in her short life and Gavin Woodson a reporter originally from New York who works for the newspaper "The Bee" in Omaha, Nebraska which he can't stand and keeps waiting to find a story that will redeem his reporting skills and send him back to the state of New York where he feels he belongs. The morning started out feeling warmish at thirty some degrees after a long spell of below zero temperatures where people could not go outside and children had to stay home from school so this day everyone dressed lightly for school and travelling about while never expecting anything other than having a wonderful sunny day to enjoy. This book will tell the story of some of the heroes and heroines of that fateful day and also the some of the people who made some very bad decisions which resulted in so many unexpected lives being lost while other lives will be forever changed.
This book left a haunting impact on myself where I will never forget the characters of this story and how the blizzard affected all their lives. Melanie Benjamin is a wonderful writer and as a result this story will stay unforgettable for me. The brutal life on the prairie and how children must grow up so quickly without other choices and school is considered a little luxury that some parents are resentful is also depicted in this wonderfully written story. The author goes on to tell how animals survive and also perish during brutal weather conditions. This story, truly was a bleak and harsh reality that showed a window view of prairie life that was tastefully told with blunt realism and it's no wonder that so many did not live to reach old age during those times. I cannot even imagine myself living during those times under those conditions and I am so thankful for the life and times I was given.
I highly recommend this book to everyone and especially anyone who has any interest in the story of "The Children's Blizzard". I want to thank the publisher " Random House Publishing -Ballantine" and Netgalley'for the opportunity to read this wonderful book and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given haunting novel a rating of 4 1/2 Brutal And Bleak ...more
Luvtoread (Trying to catch up)
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