"The Doctor's Lady" by Jody Hedlund

Called to be a missionary in the far-away land of India, Priscilla White eagerly awaited her first appointment.  Dr. Eli Ernest had spent a year exploring the wilds of Oregon, meeting the native Nez Perce and establishing support for the first Christian mission in the area.  Both were devastated ed when their backers refused to send them to the mission field unmarried.  With few choices and their calls urgent on their hearts, they quickly marry and set off overland for Oregon.  Yet faced with a rigorous six-month journey never before faced by a white woman, will their vision of a mission ... their marriage ... will they survive?

As a huge fan of the old Oregon Trail computer game and women's history in the American West altogether, I devoured this book.  I couldn't wait to find out what would happen around the next bend in the trail!

Periodically I would wonder just how realistic it was to marry someone after only a few brief discussions and travel across a continent to begin something new, yet I realize in that time women were forced to do just that.  Still, I was shocked when I read the author's note at the end and found that this book was based upon the very true story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman!  Not only did Hedlund's characters seem real, but they were.  Their trials, tribulations, and victories were true, and yet I never felt as if I was reading from a history text.

I loved Hedlund's tapestry of fiction, truth, and history.  I can't wait to read more!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to read more, you can!  Visit Bethany House's website to read the first chapter for free.