Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility

This is the story of the Kirkpatricks. They buy land in eastern Oregon and eventually start to develop it. While reading it, I felt like I went thru their hardships and moments of joy. What a couple!

Jane Kirkpatrick's writing carries with it the spirit of the pioneers. "Homestead" chronicles the Kirkpatricks' effort as a married couple to carve out a living from the dry, hard soil of eastern Oregon. They rough it as they go along, working toward a suitable well, a home with an actual foundation, and a road that doesn't rattle their teeth from their jaws. A fitting testimony to the stubborn stamina and ingenuity of modern pioneers--and a bracing reminder of what our forbears went through--this book is also a heartwarming look into the meaning of family, faith, and friendship. Jane's love of life shines through every chapter, and yet there is no glossing over the troubles, large or small. This is an honest account of the price one pays to pave his or her own way. While straightforward and economical, "Homestead" is a book that breathes with the fires of imagination and good humor. Jane's writing qualifies this story as a modern masterpiece. My wife and I read some of the chapters aloud to one another, and at a few points we were laughing to the point of tears; at others, we were moved to prayers of thankfulness for our creature comforts and to quiet hugs of love. This is a book for all to enjoy, and one that'll be read for years to come.

This is the kind of book that will keep you up late at night so you can finish the book. Jane Kirkpatrick does an excellant job describing the problems they had building their home in the middle of nowhere. Her description of the country side leaves you being able to picture their entire Homestead. This is one book I know I will advise friends to read. I hope Ms. Kirkpatrick writes a follow-up book to this one.

This was my favorite of Jane's many books. Jane's tale held me spellbound from beginning to end. I could hardly believe how much she and her husband lived through in order to establish a home in a very difficult environment. I felt like I lived the entire ordeal with them. Very worthwhile reading.

This was a very engrossing book of what you have to do to build your own place in the middle of nowhere. These people were very brave to do the things they did. I am not a fan of flying which they learned to do and of big rattlesnakes or black widow spiders. The driveway would be enough for me to never go back. Jane is an excellent writer and I have enjoyed her other books also. She really enjoys the west and writes well of it and the people who have lived here. I live in the Willamette Valley where it is "civilized" and not as wild as it is in central and eastern Oregon. I love to visit these places but head on home to Eugene. Thank you Jane for doing these wonderful books. I am waiting inpatiently for the next one.

Having thought many times about chucking it all and returning to Oregon, to the great high desert country and beautiful wild rivers and canyons, this was well worth the price of admission and a joy to read. Humorous, descriptive, so much so that I laughed hard, could see the blueness of the sky, and could smell the pines on the Northernmost hills at Warm Springs. I have seen the wild painted ponies and once seen, with the snow capped Cascades behind, changes you forever. I thank Jane Kirkpatrick for writing this book and I am encourgaged by the spirit of her words and the Spirit in her writing. The first two novels were captivating, so true to the landscape, the people, and it hasn't changed all that much in the 120 years since, that one can easily hike the road she writes of and hear the falls and know this is a special place. Now, how to keep these places off the map!