A Heart for Any Fate: Westward to Oregon, 1845

The Oregon trail is really interesting, so I sought out a fiction book about the Oregon trail. This book was amazing, it was so cool to read about a family that made a difference in Oregon .

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I had enjoyed Ms. Crew's other books but I was very surprised. This book really enlightened me about the life on the Oregon Trail, or any Pioneer Trek, for that matter. Ms. Crew has done a a very careful job of researching her subject and imagining the fictional aspects of the real life people who inhabit the pages of A Heart For Any Fate. I was in love with the King family, their dreams, their courage, their heartbreaking experiences on the Oregon Trail. I read the book and when I was finished I read it again because it was that good! The second read was even more enjoyable. Ms. Crew does a very good job of charting the growth of Lovisa King from young girl to woman during the course of her months on the trail and the sacrifices she made. While there was a lot of imagination involved in writing this account, the story convinced me that it was all possible. A very accurate and entertaining book.

I too am a descendent of the infamous lost wagon train that took the Meek's Cutoff of 1845. I have always imagined what my family was experiencing on their journey. Linda Crew has made this a 3 dimensional saga. Not only can I hear the voices but can smell the wildflowers and the axel grease, the blood sweat and tears and the alkaline dust to the scent of new calico and old leather. I hear the song "Shennandoah" with the women's tears and the fireside dances. I see the countless stars of a prarie sky and the sun on the golden locks of a doomed child. I feel the heat of the shadeless terrain and the breaking of hearts and the hope of new life. I taste the bitterness of unimaginal losses, the crunch of an apple after near starvation and the sweetness of a first kiss. This is a book not just for young adults or Oregonians, but for all that seek their dreams of what may come. Thank you Linda, for putting flesh to the bones of my imagination. It was as if I was carried back and met my ancestors face to face, heart to heart.

Linda Crew has outdone herself with this heartfelt telling of one family's journey to Oregon on the fabled Oregon Trail. While many of the adventures and relationships of the King family told in this wonderful book may perhaps not be historically "accurate", they resonate with poignancy and truth. Readers of all ages can relate to sibling squabbles, first loves and the loss of someone dear. What may open many readers' eyes are the incredible hardships these pioneers endured, all for the hope of a better life in a better place. Those of us who are now reaping the benefits of their sacrifice should be especially grateful - I know I am. Buy one for yourself and for anyone else who could use a good read!