WESTERING

by Irwin R. Blacker ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 21, 1958

The little world of a pioneer wagon train making a late start from independence for Oregon in 1845 grows tighter as it tries to race against the snow. Under the surface of the journal kept by Stith Hibbard -- and sandwiched in between his daily entries-are the stories of each member of the party, from the quality Ketterings who are running away from murder done in Boston, to the mighty blacksmith Archie who adores his pretty wife Laura who can deny no man; from Jesse Taylor driven by fear of failure and his Martha who longs for a child, to embittered and arrogant Jasper Lee, his despised wife, Blanche, and their daughter Agnes; from the Jew Straussberg to the guide MacCase. How each was to find his destiny on the trail -- through suicide, murder, cholera, through whipping, marriage, or the question of leadership, through the adoption of children or the sharing of loneliness, and how, smaller but just as determined, the group made its way, even through the snow, to The Dalles is presented in a many panelled, highlighted story of cumulative interest.

Pub Date: July 21, 1958

ISBN: 1166131858

Page Count: -

Publisher: World

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION