Fascinating Historical Fiction

Jane Kirkpatrick spins a fascinating story that weaves together facts with educated-speculation about the life and times of Helga Estby and her daughter Clara in her novel The Daughter's Walk.  This amazing semi-suffragette duo made an unprecedented 3,500-mile WALK across America in 1896 in an effort to win a $10,000 prize.  The journey was not well received by their family and this book is a fictional take on what might have resulted once they returned home. 

To be perfectly honest, had I not been reading this book for the purpose of writing a review, I'm not sure I would have finished it.  There were parts of the book that seemed to drag on at a sluggish pace.  In hindsight I wish I had read the "Authors Notes and Acknowledgements" first.  (Seeing as how reading the end of the book first goes against my better judgement, it hadn't occurred to me to do so.)  However, after reading about Kirkpatrick's thorough research and gathering of factual accounts of Clara and Helga, it was made clear that some of the slower parts of the story were actually recitation of the factual accounts and documented history of the real events.  It was in truth quite fascinating and I'm glad I read the story to it's entirety.

The story of Helga and Clara is a thought-provoking conundrum.  Kirkpatrick's fictionalization allows us to learn more about this nugget of history while exploring the intricacies of family dynamics and the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and to anyone who has ever had a period of family separation or exile.

***I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.***