Review of An Untamed Land

Kindle Book Review:  

Red River of the North by Lauraine Snelling

Christian historical fiction

Amazon rating: 4.7/ 5 stars 
My rating: 4.5/ 5 stars 

I picked up book one, An Untamed Land, as a freebie introduction to the series. It's certainly one that you could read as a stand alone novel without having to read on, but if you're like me, you just might want to know what's in store for the characters in book 2!

An Untamed Land is a Christian fiction, that tells the story of Norwegian immigrants to the Dakota territory in the late 19th century. Two brothers, Roald and Carl, sail to Amerika with their wives and children on the promise of a place to farm and raise their families. After their parents and family scrimp and save for three years to pay for their tickets, the group are faced with trials from the very start—Kaaren's premature labor, all arriving in a foreign land without knowing a lick of the language, and the unexpectedly long and arduous trek across the states.

Once in a while, the prose gets a little flowery in its descriptives, but the story was very interesting. It certainly didn't glamorize the hard life of a nineteenth century farmer in the prairie wilds of Dakota winters, or the trials and challenges they faced from the very beginning—from the culture shock of 1880's New York City, to the grueling hard work they endured to reach their dreams.

Without giving away the story, it's not all promised dreams & happily ever after, and it's certainly not predictable at all. The detail of their lives, the contrasting relationships within the family, and the unpredictable storyline makes it a worthwhile read.