Book Blurb:
After a devastating tragedy, Dorcas Moon faces brutal choices in the unforgiving wilderness.
An unsolved hometown murder casts a foreboding shadow over the journey. Mounting responsibilities weigh heavy on Dorcas' shoulders while navigating the trail along the Platte River. Family, friends, and neighbors can't seem to get along without her help.
The gruesome trail exacts a heavy toll. A sweeping grass fire blazes across the prairie. A doomed wagon careens down a treacherous hill. A fellow traveler is gored to death while hunting buffalo. Each disaster pushes the pioneers to the brink. Amidst the chaos, Dorcas grapples with the realization that she must dump her precious cook stove and her husband's massive safe. The oxen can no longer haul the heavy weight of unnecessary cargo.
When her daughter mysteriously disappears while the wagons are at Fort Laramie, Dorcas despairs. She is desperate to help her daughter when the troubled youth is found in the arms of a Brulé man in Spotted Tail's village.
Secure your copy of Lighten the Load and delve into an unforgettable saga of empowerment, sacrifice, and the haunting echoes of the American frontier. Rejoin Dorcas Moon on the adventure of a lifetime as she confronts the challenges that shape her destiny.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/TR4nU
Author Bio:
David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850. Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society.
Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level.
Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses.
Editorial Review:
Editorial Review: “Lighten the Load”
Author: David Fitz-Gerald
Book 2 of 5: “Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail” Series
“On my way back, I think more about my situation. Whatever I decide, I assure myself that we can and will survive.”
A book review needs to be written, and this reviewer will get to it, but she is currently immersed in reading. While that is an essential pre-requisite to writing a review, there is considerable reluctance to stop scrolling and actually type. To do so would remove the source of the emotion that leaps from every page of “Lighten the Load”, drawing the reader into the story so much that it seems impossible to lift eyes from the screen. The object of so much undivided attention is “Lighten the Load”, the second book of Fitz-Gerald’s series “Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail”. Each novel follows on from the other, which has happily created an excuse for a reading binge that rivals any Netflix offering.
And so to the review, to a chastened Dorcas, to her stricken family, to the ever constant prairie and magnificent sweeping landscapes. The first-person present tense from “A Grave Every Mile” of course continues in “Lighten the Load”. It is used to wonderful effect as Dorcas questions everything around her and seeks some form of stability, or at least, survival. The author expertly contrasts and balances the internal challenges Dorcas and her family face, with the external challenges that appear at every turn. The progression of the storyline means the reader learns more about Dorcas; her hopes, her fears and her strengths and weaknesses. As with the best leading characters of any novel, Dorcas is far from one-dimensional. The advantage of reading a series, appears at this point to be the extensive character development which such a format allows.
Dorcas’s continued noting of men who are not her husband remains a vague source of concern to this reviewer. When so much of the story is authentically set in time and place, this particular character trait and the frequency of Dorcas’s musings seems incongruous.
Personal choices made by Dorcas may not be endorsed by all readers. Others may understand the way in which the wildness of the prairie creates a need for freedom.
The character development extends to the secondary characters, most especially to the children in the story. Their respective relationships of the Moon children with their parents are a focus throughout “Lighten the Load”, reminding the reader that the precious parent/child bond is the same, no matter when or where in history the family exists. Rose, Dorcas and Larkin’s daughter, remains a concern, facing personal challenges and emotional upheaval in a believable way while unfortunately lacking her mother’s fortitude. But that is not a criticism; and the depiction of Rose and her (understandable) vulnerabilities serves as a foil to Dorcas’s robust approach to events that would be a significant challenge for most.
“Although it is sunny the air is bone-chillingly cold, and the ever-present wind bites at our skin. We shiver with each seemingly insignificant step, feeling as if our destination is hopelessly out of reach. The hours and miles go by slowly as doubt gnaws at my gut.”
The descriptive language remains a spectacular highlight of Fitz-Gerald’s writing style, and this reviewer can never get enough of the evocative references to nature and the changing seasons.
“Even the prairie seems different the farther we get from the Little Blue River. In early May, the land is drier, but still verdant and sprinkled with radiant, early spring wildflowers. Occasionally, I see small hills of dried sand. I ride up to one and see a crater in the earth where no grass grows. Dark brown fur clings to dried grass at the edge of the exposed soil.”
As the narrative progresses, the emotion gives way to mystery. This adds a further welcome dimension to this tale of the pioneering West, and engages Dorcas in matters outside her own immediate personal concerns. Some readers may therefore find that “Lighten the Load” focuses more on human relationships. By contrast, “A Grave Every Mile” pitted people against nature and the environment to a greater extent. Again, this ability to focus on different aspects within different novels is an advantage of a series. The more detailed world building and human relationships creates more dialogue between the characters. At some points certain conversations veer towards formulaic, but overall the relationships between the characters are compelling and believable. The friendship between Dorcas and Esther is particularly well-described. The reader will share Dorcas’s anxiety about Jennie’s illness – a stark reminder of the implications of the life-and-death decisions that need to be made on the Oregon trail. Dorcas’s reflections on the pioneers that came before her as she discards some of her possessions are poignant. Although a reference to material objects, it is also a representation of all that the pioneers gave up in the hope of a better life.
“Lighten the Load” also introduces other scenes of a parallel storyline that is woven through the main narrative, and, while relevant, this approach may take some readers away from the central plot. Events that occur at the ending of this second book in the series are unexpected and the final paragraphs may be seen by many as merely an appropriate time to pause the narrative, rather than a complete resolution.
“Lighten the Load” by David Fitz-Gerald is a novel that is packed full of emotion, immersing the reader in America’s pioneer life with a cast of multi-dimensional, believable characters. As the author notes, this novel is the second “segment” of five, which the author makes clear are intended to be read as one volume. This reviewer continues west with the Moon family, observing Dorcas with a mix of awe and concern, but with absolutely no intention of stopping the wagon (or reading binge!) to rest. Surely the mark of a great story!
*****
"Lighten the Load" by David Fitz-Gerald receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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