Scan barcode
elizabeth_juliet's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ksbhorsegal's review
challenging
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The main character is a young girl approaching adulthood named Rebecca. She has an unconventional dream for her historical period and is willing to pay the price to make it happen. Rebecca also stands up for others and is not afraid to do hard things. I love how much she enjoys nature, her mountains and the sunsets! I enjoyed the story of this book. The relationship between her and her mother is beautiful. My main issue with this book is the marketing… it is marketed as a Christian fiction historical fiction novel but it is clearly not. It is a book with the main characters of the Mormon faith and their message which I do not agree with as I’m not Mormon. I found it interesting to see the pioneering life aspect of Alberta!
24marsha's review
3.0
Interesting and faith-filled take on LDS pioneers settling into the Cardston area without being so traditionally like a churchy pioneer story. Rebecca’s ‘people’ go about trying to do good, help others and build their community.
jacobmendozajrm's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
hdcamp's review
5.0
I feel like I'm in danger of saying too much about this book. It doesn't need much introduction - it's an historical novel about pioneers in western Canada. It's just about life.
That's exactly what's so great about it. Things like this book here are exactly what got me into writing in the first place - it's a snapshot of life as it actually was for a particular person, in a particular point in time, in a particular place. I've been giving this review some thought, and I'm still not sure what to say.
Of course the faith represented was my favorite part. A fellow librarian I was talking to about this book mentioned that "of course, it's such a feminist text," and I was surprised. I thought about it, and realized that she was correct, but that it wasn't the radical, misandrist feminism I usually see in contemporary YA. It was a quiet, timely, Christian feminism - standing up for your own dignity an the dignity of other women, without losing sight of your own femininity. I was so worried when talking with my colleagues that they were going to be derisive of Rebecca and her mother's lived faith (they were not), because it felt so real to me, and it was valuable to me to see it depicted. Organized worship was only depicted in passing, but Rebecca's interior relationship with God, and her Christian worldview permeated everything, and that is something I haven't seen in popular fiction. The end result wasn't that she was "freed" from her religion, or that the resolution of her character arc meant a rejection of her values or beliefs; it all worked together, and by the end of the book her faith is stronger and her relationship with God is more fortified.
This was the first book I've read that I really saw myself in. Ever. Throughout my education and into my professional life, I've talked with teachers and librarians and other book professionals, and they always mentioned the startling lack of representation in publishing for people of color, or LGBTQ+ people, or people with disabilities. I always agreed with them (recently I've been wondering what the statistics look like nowadays, because it seems to be much improved in some ways from ten years ago). As a professional I was told it was my duty to provide those mirrors for children when they came to me, whether they knew it or not - occasionally a problematic statement for me, but it was my duty nonetheless. My career and my faith hinged on that duty, although none of my colleagues knew or could've understood it. But these conversations also made me realize that I had never had a mirror of my own. It only got worse as those strides towards inclusiveness were made in publishing - I'm not an overt feminist, I'm not trans, I'm not a person of color, I don't experience same sex attraction, and I don't have any disabilities. Even in the classics I read as a child, Jo and Anne didn't share my faith; I may have related to their personalities and interests to some degree, but they still weren't like me.
That's a long and roundabout way of saying that Rebecca's story was familiar to me on a more personal level than anything I've ever read. And I was hit over the head with it right off the bat - Rebecca meets God on her tor, looking out at the mountains she loves. She learns things that I am learning, and has thoughts that I've been having. In between all of it is the hard work of surviving on a homestead in the North American west, which is always something simultaneously appealing and terrifying to me. If I couldn't relate to it in particular, I could relate to it in general.
That's all well and good, but I'm just talking about what worked for me in particular. The book in general was wonderful too, and I have no doubt that anyone reading it would love it. The writing is beautiful, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious; the characters are masterfully crafted (and I loved the way their utter humanness, for good and bad, was revealed over the course of the book); the plot was perfection, and the pacing just right. I have zero complaints about this book. When was the last time that happened?
That's exactly what's so great about it. Things like this book here are exactly what got me into writing in the first place - it's a snapshot of life as it actually was for a particular person, in a particular point in time, in a particular place. I've been giving this review some thought, and I'm still not sure what to say.
Of course the faith represented was my favorite part. A fellow librarian I was talking to about this book mentioned that "of course, it's such a feminist text," and I was surprised. I thought about it, and realized that she was correct, but that it wasn't the radical, misandrist feminism I usually see in contemporary YA. It was a quiet, timely, Christian feminism - standing up for your own dignity an the dignity of other women, without losing sight of your own femininity. I was so worried when talking with my colleagues that they were going to be derisive of Rebecca and her mother's lived faith (they were not), because it felt so real to me, and it was valuable to me to see it depicted. Organized worship was only depicted in passing, but Rebecca's interior relationship with God, and her Christian worldview permeated everything, and that is something I haven't seen in popular fiction. The end result wasn't that she was "freed" from her religion, or that the resolution of her character arc meant a rejection of her values or beliefs; it all worked together, and by the end of the book her faith is stronger and her relationship with God is more fortified.
This was the first book I've read that I really saw myself in. Ever. Throughout my education and into my professional life, I've talked with teachers and librarians and other book professionals, and they always mentioned the startling lack of representation in publishing for people of color, or LGBTQ+ people, or people with disabilities. I always agreed with them (recently I've been wondering what the statistics look like nowadays, because it seems to be much improved in some ways from ten years ago). As a professional I was told it was my duty to provide those mirrors for children when they came to me, whether they knew it or not - occasionally a problematic statement for me, but it was my duty nonetheless. My career and my faith hinged on that duty, although none of my colleagues knew or could've understood it. But these conversations also made me realize that I had never had a mirror of my own. It only got worse as those strides towards inclusiveness were made in publishing - I'm not an overt feminist, I'm not trans, I'm not a person of color, I don't experience same sex attraction, and I don't have any disabilities. Even in the classics I read as a child, Jo and Anne didn't share my faith; I may have related to their personalities and interests to some degree, but they still weren't like me.
That's a long and roundabout way of saying that Rebecca's story was familiar to me on a more personal level than anything I've ever read. And I was hit over the head with it right off the bat - Rebecca meets God on her tor, looking out at the mountains she loves. She learns things that I am learning, and has thoughts that I've been having. In between all of it is the hard work of surviving on a homestead in the North American west, which is always something simultaneously appealing and terrifying to me. If I couldn't relate to it in particular, I could relate to it in general.
That's all well and good, but I'm just talking about what worked for me in particular. The book in general was wonderful too, and I have no doubt that anyone reading it would love it. The writing is beautiful, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious; the characters are masterfully crafted (and I loved the way their utter humanness, for good and bad, was revealed over the course of the book); the plot was perfection, and the pacing just right. I have zero complaints about this book. When was the last time that happened?
neglet's review
5.0
I adored this book. The main character is both practical and a dreamer; her voice is both innocent and sincere yet slyly humorous; and the language is somehow both plain (and era-appropriate) and deeply poetic. A lovely slice of historical life.
johanna_b's review
4.0
Rebecca Leavitt and her family are settlers in Canada and, as her father and brothers work to establish a homestead, Rebecca is expected to set her sights on marriage. But Rebecca has other plans to purchase land of her own. In order to do this though she has to find a way to raise 480 dollars, an impossible sum for the times, and her efforts aren't without opposition. The hardships of life as a pioneer are relentless and Rebecca will soon be tested in more ways than she can imagine, but she is determined not to give up on her dreams.
This book started out slow but midway through the story really picked up! The second half of the book was CRAZY and I couldn't put it down! I love reading about this time period and the author did a great job of putting into perspective the lives of the pioneers and the challenges they faced. I really liked the progression of Rebecca's character. At the beginning, I wasn't her biggest fan as she appeared very shallow but with every hardship she faced there came a shift as she was forced to grow and adapt, ultimately adding so much depth to her character. The story followed somewhat the same progression as it became richer as time went on and by the end I was feeling so many emotions! The only thing missing from this book is any mention of Native peoples. This didn't have to necessarily be part of the plot, but something in the afterword at least would've helped. Other than that I'm really glad I read it! Happy Reading :)
This book started out slow but midway through the story really picked up! The second half of the book was CRAZY and I couldn't put it down! I love reading about this time period and the author did a great job of putting into perspective the lives of the pioneers and the challenges they faced. I really liked the progression of Rebecca's character. At the beginning, I wasn't her biggest fan as she appeared very shallow but with every hardship she faced there came a shift as she was forced to grow and adapt, ultimately adding so much depth to her character. The story followed somewhat the same progression as it became richer as time went on and by the end I was feeling so many emotions! The only thing missing from this book is any mention of Native peoples. This didn't have to necessarily be part of the plot, but something in the afterword at least would've helped. Other than that I'm really glad I read it! Happy Reading :)
jennywithaz's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
After having a sit with God overlooking the beautiful land her Mormon family homesteads in Northwestern Canada, spirited Rebecca decides to recommit herself to being good, while at the same time determined to own the spot of land between her father's property and her childhood friend Coby's for herself, to let it sit free for her to enjoy its beauty. This presents challenges because she is a young women in the 1870s, and women in Canada cannot own property outright. Imagining a loophole around this, Rebecca works hard to earn the money for her land and struggles to love the people in her community as her faith demands, although they can be hard to love at times.
This is a book with some really beautiful writing in it. It's not often I read YA books centered around characters who practice religion and talk about their faith, and I thought this book was truly a breath of fresh air in this regard. Leavitt writes beautifully about themes of faith and loving one's neighbor in a way that's very humanistic. Rebecca struggles to love her neighbors in a way that's realistic for a teenager who is independent minded and free spirited; her voice starts out on the young side and develops throughout the course of the story as her life experiences show her how to overcome some of those struggles, and also to learn when exceptions to rules must be made.
This is a novel with a strong sense of place and the setting shines as much as the characters do.
This is a book with some really beautiful writing in it. It's not often I read YA books centered around characters who practice religion and talk about their faith, and I thought this book was truly a breath of fresh air in this regard. Leavitt writes beautifully about themes of faith and loving one's neighbor in a way that's very humanistic. Rebecca struggles to love her neighbors in a way that's realistic for a teenager who is independent minded and free spirited; her voice starts out on the young side and develops throughout the course of the story as her life experiences show her how to overcome some of those struggles, and also to learn when exceptions to rules must be made.
This is a novel with a strong sense of place and the setting shines as much as the characters do.
jeansbookbag's review
medium-paced
2.0
I’m sure there is an audience for this book, but that audience isn’t really me. For one thing, I didn’t realize going into it that it was YA, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I wasn’t expecting that. It was also pretty heavily religious. Not in a super preachy way, just a lot more religious content than I tend to enjoy in my fiction. The writing also didn’t really flow well in my opinion, and the pacing felt off. But all that said, I did like the moments of feminism sprinkled throughout and it’s an easy historical read.