A Historical Fiction Novel: The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick

What is the farthest distance you have ever walked?  On my recent trip to Mackinaw Island, I road my bike for 13 miles and that seemed long and tiring.  This story The Daughter's Walk is about two women who walked from Spokane, Washington to New York City.  That's 3500 miles!  Google says that it would take 2 days and 4 hours by car today.  Unbelievable!!!  Much of what is written in the book is true to their story.  Of course, parts are speculated to fill in the part of the story that history hasn't told us.  This whole escapade began when Helga and Ole's farm was in trouble and facing financial ruin in foreclosure.  To save the farm, Helga accepted a proposal by some sponsors to walk from Spokane Washington to New York City within seven months wearing the new reformed dresses.  If she completed her task, they would pay her $10,000.00.  That was quite a bit of money back then and seemed like the answers to her problems.  Helga informed her oldest daughter, Clara, that she would also be making the trek. The story is told from Clara's perspective.  She wasn't thrilled to be brought in to this crazy adventure her mother had gotten herself into.  Their epic journey cost them time away from their family which caused a rift in the family that would not be healed for a very long time.
In the end, this walk was a defining moment of their lives and changed them both forever.  Take a few minutes and watch the trailer for the book!


I really enjoyed reading this book about these women's lives.  I had never heard of these women and their amazing feat.  I can't even imagine what strength and courage it must of taken to complete such a huge task.  The author did a great job re-telling the story and making it come alive.  The book also includes a Reader's Guide at the end.  These questions would be great for book clubs going through this book. I would highly recommend reading this book and learning more about an untold story in American history.

You can read more about the author, Jane Kirkpatrick, here at her website.



**I received this free book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.