Letters to Callie: Jack Wade's Story

If there's even one sentimental bone in your body, you'll love this writer's stories. Ms. Miller writes from her heart, and each and every paragraph will touch yours. As wonderful as "The Journal of Callie Wade" is, I think "Letters to Callie" is even better. A novel which is beautifully descriptive without being 'wordy', and with characters that will touch you deeply. I'm already itching to read the next installment in the saga of the Wade family!

Told partly in the form of letters, this is Jack Wade's painful journey from boy to man. Jack has lived his life as a nomad since he left the wagon train where his father and sister died, existing from card game to card game. He runs from his emotions and from anything smacking of ties. His only bond is with his sister Callie, the recipient of his letters. He is on the run now because he is in trouble with the law. The man he used to ride with neglected to tell Jack that he was a wanted man, and when the law caught up with them last, Jack was lucky to escape with his life. When he arrives in Virginia City at the Pair O' Dice, he meets Lillie and doesn't want to run any more. Jack and Lillie fall in love, but they have no time to do much at all about their feelings because trouble has caught up with Jack. He leaves Virginia City, intending to come back when things calm down, but then he is shot. When he comes to, he is in a Blackfoot village. As he heals from his wounds, his heart and soul heal as well. And helping in the healing process is a young Blackfoot widow named Raven.... There is joy and agony still awaiting Jack in this sometimes wrenching, sometimes glorious tale. Jack is not your typical hero--he has to learn lessons along the way, and sometimes he falls flat on his face. The reader suffers along with Jack but is also there for the triumphs and will laugh as well as cry with him.

When baby Rose died on the trek west, Jack Wade could not cope with the loss of his little sibling. Needing to mourn by himself and rethink his values, Jack leaves his family and the wagon train in Utah to head north. However, a new guilt wracks Jack and he feels despondent that he abandoned his beloved sibling Callie. Still, he knew he could no longer remain with the wagon train because he was one of the prime supporters that persuaded the Wade family to go on the journey in the first place. To ameliorate his depression, Jack begins to write letters to Callie that describe what he has seen, how he feels, the nightmares he suffer over his losses including the women he loves, and his dismal hopes for his future. LETTERS TO CALLIE: JACK WADE'S STORY is more of a historical journal that tells the adventures and misadventures of the hero. Jack's life is exciting as he becomes a gambler, deals with dangerous enemies, and falls in love. The companion piece to the powerfully descriptive THE JOURNAL OF CALLIE WADE is a stand-alone story that continues to portray the often-harsh life of settlers and pioneers. This is Americana historical fiction at its realistic best. It will dawn on genre fans that Ms. Miller is quite an artist painting the landscape of mid nineteenth century western America.Harriet Klausner