Reviews for A Clearing in the Wild

The average rating for A Clearing in the Wild based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-06-30 00:00:00 Billy Warren I will read anything Jane Kirkpatrick writes! This is the latest one that I've found. The author is very knowledgeable about the history of the Northwest, and by reading her stories I've become fully immersed in that history as well. Her characters have a spiritual life, and the challenges that they have to face are tied to spiritual decisions. It's worthwhile reading! This particular story takes on the issue of legalism in a small denomination, as well as the issue of a woman's submission to authority as found in a church leadership, or a marital relationship. Good exploration of these issues.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-11-01 00:00:00 Lori Shiffman Library copy. I am loving this book. Love this style of writing. ~~ Forty pages to go ... oh my, what hardship this west coast pioneering compared to NH a century earlier! This book is the first in a series, which I am rather anxious to read. While the book stands alone, the story isn't finished, and leaves the reader hoping beyond hope that things turn brighter in the next two books, as they begin to at the end of this one. It is beyond me to critique a writer such as Jane Kirkpatrick. Her writing is as writing should be. It is not entertainment. It is thick. Thick enough to sink one's teeth into or to sink down into as in a feather comforter. Characters (good and bad), plot, language, description of the environment, matters of the heart, matters of faith, they are all there. When I stop to read a phrase or sentence aloud, just for the pure sound of the words; when I want to wring the neck of one of the characters even though they are fictitious; when I feel as though I am there; that is a five star rating. On top of all of this, the book is historical. The Bethelites were a real group of people, and much of the story is gleaned from historical records. The author who combines historical fact and fiction seamlessly is tops on my list. Thank you, Jane, for a superb book! I highly recommend this book, although for some it would appear dry. This is not a contemporary inspirational romance. It is a work of substance. I love it.