The Memory Weaver

The Memory Weaver, by Jane Kirkpatrick tells the story of Eliza Spalding, who is the daughter Presbyterian missionaries with the Nez Perce in the Pacific Northwest. Although I wasn’t aware of this before reading the book, it is based on true events that happened in 1847. The book starts when Eliza is a young teenager. Her mother has passed away, and she is struggling with memories of her kidnapping that took place when she was 10 years old at a mission with another family, who worked closely with her parents. When Eliza was taken, she served as a translator of the other captives, since she was the only one fluent in the language. While there is a focus on Eliza’s past, the book also looks at her relationship with her husband and family as she elopes and leaves her father.

 

The format of the book was different than what I was expecting, as there was a lot of remembering the past and reliving it through diary entries of Eliza, the mother. I was also expecting more romance, but there wasn’t much focus on that. Rather the book focuses on Eliza, both her past and her present. I also think I had to focus while reading this book, which made it a little longer of a read than what I’m used to. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in history.   

 

 

This book was provided by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”