Nancy E. Turner, These is My Words
This novel is a first-person account, in the form of a diary written by a young woman; Sarah Agnes Prine, of the years 1881 to 1901, spent in the Arizona territories.
When she is seventeen, Sarah, her parents and her brothers travel from Cottonwood Springs, in New Mexico Territory, to Texas, and suffer many troubles and sorrows along the way. The death of one of the boys, Clover, from a snake bite, and mostly the death of Sarah’s father from an infected wound, prompt the rest of the family to travel back just after they have reached their destination, in a wagon train escorted by the army.
For Sarah and her family, this is a difficult time, as they have to fend off Indian attacks and overcome diseases brought by unsanitary conditions. Also, she is much bothered by the attitude of "ornery" Captain Jack Elliott, the man in charge of the escort. At times he seems very helpful and sensible, and at other times, just disrespectful and irritating…
As Sarah and her family settle near Tucson, Arizona and file claims for lands, Jack Elliott continues courting Sarah, even if she hasn’t identified his attentions as courting. At the same time, Jimmy Reed, who was raised by Sarah’s family for five years before staying behind to marry his beloved Ruthanne, comes back: Ruthanne has married another. Soon, Jimmy starts courting Sarah too…
Events shaping Sarah’s incredibly hard and eventful life unfold in Sarah’s own voice: marriage, motherhood, loss and mourning, hopes and joys. In a time when just staying alive in a neighborhood full of Indians and outlaws is cause enough to be thankful, Sarah wants more from life and pursues her one dream, beside being happy and raising a family: getting some education. Sarah, who has never been to school, learns grammar and vocabulary from other people’s books, until she finds abandoned books that she keeps and reads one after the other. She also helps her young brother, and later her own kids, with their studies. Her writing, from clumsy and full of spelling and grammar mistakes, evolves into a nicer and more fluid prose.
Like all accounts of women’s experiences on the territories, These is My Words shows the many difficulties linked to such conditions of life: diseases, childbirth without doctors or midwives, numerous and sometimes unwanted pregnancies, Indian attacks: these women are faced with the precariousness of life in general… What is particularly remarkable in These Is My Words is Nancy E. Turner’s heroine. A woman who can shoot a rifle like few men, self-taught, strong-willed, courageous and feisty, yet feminine, compassionate and funny. The first-person narration allows us to see her experiences through her eyes, and her mistakes, her misinterpretations of what happens around her: this is what makes the novel particularly enjoyable. Jack Elliott is a very interesting protagonist too, a complex character, in an Edward Rochester’s kind of way, both seductive and disquieting, with a touch of mystery about him.
As a conclusion, I really recommend this great book to readers who are interested in the lives of the pioneers from a woman’s point of view…
Rating: 4/5
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I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. She has a triligy Sarah’s Quilt and The Star Garden. All are an outstanding read.
These were borrowed from a friend who also likes to read. Can they be purchased so I can have my own?
Ross Carter