The cover is enough to make you want to pick this book up for a read, but then the read itself is better than the cover.
Letitia, a freed American slave, clings to the papers that declare her freedom. Though she can not read the words they are etched in her heart. This sliver of paper is her freedom, it is her proof that she belongs to no one. But that paper does not ease the battle of proving that she should be free. It does not stop the mistreatment, the misunderstanding, the rudeness and hardships she will face - but it reminds her that there is hope and something better.

Stepping into a new life throws Letitia into a friendship with two other women from very different backgrounds with very different lives. On their individual journeys to new homes and new futures they find themselves bound together. All trying to settle the past and all trying to make a future. Suspicion, heartache, pain these things melt away as these women forge a friendship that will forever change their lives.

Pick this book up, then pour yourself a glass of iced tea and curl up for a good read. This author has created a story that will draw you in. She has created characters so filled with life that they seem to leap from the pages and embrace you. As a reader the emotional thread of this novel will draw you in and you will contemplate the injustices and experience the grace.

Get ready, get set, go - - - For an adventure of friendship, forgiveness, and coming to terms with the past in order to create a future.

Thanks to the publisher - Revell for this review copy in exchange for my personal unbiased review of the boo ( )

I really enjoyed the book - as a descendant of an Oregon pioneer, it was fun to see mention of my family (Applegates) and a quote from my great-great-grandfather Jesse Applegate in the beginning of the book. More than that, I found the story of Letitia Carson to be heartbreaking and compelling. I nearly read the book in a single sitting.

Kirkpatrick did extensive research and then ably filled in the gaps to create a wonderful tale. I can easily see this book being included for readers as young as junior high. The story is simply told, moves along well and raises plenty of issues for discussion in both literature and history curricula. It also would make a great choice for book clubs ( )

I loved this book! Letitia, the main character is a newly freed slave with highly treasured papers stating her freedom. Times are changing in America as new states like Oregon are making decisions about whether to be free or slave states. Letitia is on a journey facing many obstacles and must decide whom she will trust, what she will trust, and where she can continue her freedom. Will she believe the man who takes her on as his wife? How will she be treated on her path to a new life and home? Will friends be true or betray her? Will her papers be worth as much as she values them? Will God be her refuge amidst the trials she faces? Read this fascinating book and you won't be disappointed. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Revell and Net GAlley for furnishing a complimentary book in exchange for this reader’s honest opinion. ( )

I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley.com

"New York Times bestselling novelist weaves the dramatic story of a freed slave who has lost her husband and her freedom papers and must find a way to survive in the wilderness of the Oregon Territory." This description in NetGalley caught my attention.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite book genres and I am particularly interested in strong women overcoming adversity. I noted that this was also cited as a work of Christian fiction so I wasn't expecting something classical like My Antonia (Willa Cather) but maybe Little House on the Prairie.

Kirkpatrick provided a delicate but honest handling of the plight of freed slaves; freedom having a far different definition for people of color. Letitia, provided freedom papers by her dying slave master, struggles in a purgatory between human being and chattel. Furthermore, she faces every women's plight of second class citizenship. Despite these invisible chains, Letitia makes a life for herself that in the end provides her with some small comforts.

The author has conducted excellent research on the harshness of frontier life and travel . The story focuses primarily on women and their roles in a frontier family. Life for frontier women as wives and mothers left me angry, frustrated, and full of compassion. There's no Hollywood story-line here. Life was hard, harsh and totally unforgiving.

Hidden in the wilderness there was light as suggested in the title. Letitia formed a few close friendships that soothed her and helped her forge ahead. Her red-haired Irish immigrant common-law husband was not a highly likable character but he did in the end bring her to a world where Letitia found a better life. I think I would have liked to be a friend of the real-life Letitia and I thank the author for the opportunity to meet her in this fictionalized way.

I particularly liked the author's epilogue material with the skeletal facts unearthed in census and public records of Letitia Carson that formed the framework of this novel.
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This work of historical fiction revolves around Letitia, former slave but now a free woman, and the people in her life. Letitia makes her way west, under the protection of Davey Carson, an Irish immigrant. Along the way, she becomes friends with Nancy Hawkins, wife of a doctor, and Betsy, a Kalapuya Indian. One thing these women share is an indefatigable spirit in the face of extreme trials. Facing numerous hardships, they nevertheless persevere, even when circumstances seem hopeless. Well told, this tale, based on a true story, will captivate and enlighten you with the struggles faced by people who settled the west. ( )