Libby

What a wonderful book! Libby Beaman accompanied her husband to the Pribilof Islands (1879-1880). One hundred years later, her granddaughter gathered her journal, sketchbook and letters together to form this book of Beaman's experiences in that remote outpost. At the worst, they spent seven weeks snowbound by severe storms with limited food and 40 below zero temperatures outside. At times they had to stay in bed all day trying to keep warm. Starvation threatened their lives and she almost died from that and from scurvy. Libby's accounts of daily life, of the fur trade, people and conversations and of nature form a remarkable picture of a long-ago life.

A very interesting accounting of an adventurous woman in the late 1800's. I would have given this 5 stars EXCEPT that the print is so small one almost needs a magnifying glass to read it. (I wanted to send it to my Aunt but knew she would not be able to read the print.)

Libby gives her account of her life before and during her time on the Pribilof Islands. Her letters and journals provide a look at what life was like for the middle class woman of her era with an honesty I have never come across in any other widely-available account of the post-Civil War years. I read the book while I was Alaska, and it was startling to see both similarities and differences between the lives people live in the far north now and in Libby's experience. Libby has the intensity of a well-written novel, and a depth of truth only a woman writing for her eyes alone could present. If you're interested in women of her era, life in the north, or simply an interesting story by an excellent writer, Libby is worth the purchase.