"After being raised by her trapper grandfather, a teenage Kendra is apprehensive about leaving the wilderness to face school and the unknowns of civilization."

Good story about an orphan four year old who goes to live with her grandfather in the northern wilderness. She is searching for the truth all her life and I do like that she finds it when she learns about God as a college kid. Then her purpose in life becomes to tell her grandfather and the Indian woman who helped raise her about God. I like that God works her life out for good as she is following his path for her. ( )

This was a favorite story of mine in this 'Women of the West' series. Kendra Marty was not quite 4 years old when she lost both her parents, with no one left behind to care for her except her Grandpa, George McMannus (called 'Papa Mac' by Kendra). The problem was that Papa Mac lived out in the wilderness by himself as a trapper. He just can't leave her to others to raise, so packs her up and takes her to the backwoods to live. This will work for a time, but as Kendra gets older she will have to leave and get more training. Watching these two people grow together and learn from each other was very enjoyable. Their love for each other was very dear to my heart, and tears came when they had to part. But in the end the Lord will work it all out for everyone's good! ( )

When Kendra is orphaned at a very young age, her grandfather, George, sees no better choice than to take her to live with him in the backwoods. But given that George has lived alone as a trapper for years, the life he provides Kendra, away from the city, may not be enough for her in Heart of the Wilderness by author Janette Oke.

I first read this novel a number of years ago, so it didn't hold any big surprises for me. Indeed, it's not the kind of read for major surprises or twists. It's a simple, easygoing story with only a few characters most of the way through.

Now, while I've enjoyed a good deal of this author's easy reading over the years, this one almost seems to wander along the path of Kendra's childhood, girlhood, and young womanhood. There's not really a driving focus until quite late in the book. Then the last few chapters awkwardly rush to pull the faith theme together, to introduce some rather last-minute characters, and also to squeeze in a new, underdeveloped romance.

Nevertheless, even with the weaknesses I recognize in these novels, I still consider the Women of the West series to be one of my all-time favorites. It's trailblazing fiction: some of the first of its kind in ChristFic as we now know it. Historical stories that are easy to digest but that also tuck some important nuggets inside. ( )

Kandra is tragically orphaned, and goes to live with her grandfather, a trapper in the backwoods of the USA. She grows up secure and confident, educated at home, and emerges into the adult world to learn about God and other people. A pleasant light read without too much preaching. ( )