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librarywarrior's review
4.0
Pretty quick read. I enjoyed the story. The portrayal of the natives and settlers felt pretty fair to me.
sbotelho's review
2.0
This book has an interesting premise and it's a book that I've had to read as part of a Stanford writing class. I like how the story of the abduction of the sisters unfold in the beginning and how each life turned out to be so different and the path each one chose.
The author shows different Indian tribes and how they lived at that time. I also liked how the concepts of right or wrong depended on the perspective of the different groups/tribes/people.
However, the story starts interesting but somehow it's not that exciting as it unfolds. I am not one to give up on a book so I kept reading until the end but it wasn't a book I couldn't stop reading.
I would give 2 stars and a half if I could.
The author shows different Indian tribes and how they lived at that time. I also liked how the concepts of right or wrong depended on the perspective of the different groups/tribes/people.
However, the story starts interesting but somehow it's not that exciting as it unfolds. I am not one to give up on a book so I kept reading until the end but it wasn't a book I couldn't stop reading.
I would give 2 stars and a half if I could.
nelliekampmann's review
4.0
I've been reading the non-fiction book, The History of Jonathan Alder at the same time. It was interesting to compare the real-life story of an Ohio Indian captive with that of the fictional Quiner sisters. From what I can tell, Thieving Forest was well researched. Conway does a great job of giving one a feeling for what life was like back then. I appreciated getting insight into the cultures of the various tribes in Ohio at the time of statehood and of the different motivatons of the white settlers. The sisters' personalities and stories were varied as well. Their different experiences led to understandable but sometimes unexpected character development.
Fair warning - it written in the dreaded present tense. I almost didn't read this when I realized that. Even though I find that I get somewhat used to that after about 10 minutes, I still find it distracting off and on. I rounded my rating down because of that.
I would recommend this highly for history buffs, but anyone who loves a good adventure should enjoy it, too.
Fair warning - it written in the dreaded present tense. I almost didn't read this when I realized that. Even though I find that I get somewhat used to that after about 10 minutes, I still find it distracting off and on. I rounded my rating down because of that.
I would recommend this highly for history buffs, but anyone who loves a good adventure should enjoy it, too.
shaynexb's review
4.0
I love me some old-timey, pioneer-type stories. Tribes of natives, living off the land, seeing the promise of 'Murrica paying off, or tasting it sour in one's mouth: all that speaks to me. And this story did not fail to deliver exactly what I was looking for.
A gaggle of recently orphaned women are taken all secret-like by a bunch of natives. What follows is a story of attempted rescue, of severe and forced adaptation, and of redemption or lack thereof. I loved it. The descriptions of how day-to-day life had to be hardcore scraped up from the earth, the superstitions of not only the tribes but also the whites, I was delighted by it all.
Really, the only problems I had with this book stemmed from characters' inability to see things from another point of view. There have been many times when a fight's a-brewin' between my ladylove and I, but I abort that thing early by simply viewing things from her perspective, and cancelling out the oh-so-human miscommunication. (I actually think this sometimes bothers her, and she'd really rather fight it out. But I'm a lover, not a fighter. Mostly.) There were a few times I found myself near head-banging-to-wall frustrated with the characters' thought processes. But it turned out that it was all just part of their development as people, and, I think maybe, mine as a reader, as well.
All in all, a beautifully told story of life in the frontier American west, and how hard won any semblance of happiness or safety can be.
A gaggle of recently orphaned women are taken all secret-like by a bunch of natives. What follows is a story of attempted rescue, of severe and forced adaptation, and of redemption or lack thereof. I loved it. The descriptions of how day-to-day life had to be hardcore scraped up from the earth, the superstitions of not only the tribes but also the whites, I was delighted by it all.
Really, the only problems I had with this book stemmed from characters' inability to see things from another point of view. There have been many times when a fight's a-brewin' between my ladylove and I, but I abort that thing early by simply viewing things from her perspective, and cancelling out the oh-so-human miscommunication. (I actually think this sometimes bothers her, and she'd really rather fight it out. But I'm a lover, not a fighter. Mostly.) There were a few times I found myself near head-banging-to-wall frustrated with the characters' thought processes. But it turned out that it was all just part of their development as people, and, I think maybe, mine as a reader, as well.
All in all, a beautifully told story of life in the frontier American west, and how hard won any semblance of happiness or safety can be.
aeoliandeductress's review
4.0
This book started off a bit slow, but once it picked up I really enjoyed it. The author truly represented a wide variety of historical figures, managed to create some pretty awesome and strong female characters in the middle of a time period that was less than kind to women, and show a lot of different perspectives. In the midst of all this was a message about being true to oneself that was both obvious and subtle at the same time... hard to explain.
clothespin's review
5.0
This was a fantastic historical fiction. Usually, you question the authenticity of the scenes described, knowing it is hard to fully capture a time period so long ago. But this book does it incredibly well.
I got this book for free from Amazon, and often you get what you paid for... but in this case... it was fantastic. thank you
I got this book for free from Amazon, and often you get what you paid for... but in this case... it was fantastic. thank you
sjj169's review
4.0
Susanna and her four sisters have recently lost their parents to Swamp fever. They decide to continue their small store that is attached to their house out in the wilderness. Then the sisters are taken in an attack from a group of Potawatomi as Susanna hides.
After the abduction Susanna takes off after her sisters and their abductors.
The story takes Susanna to a weird Missionary village where she stays for a few months and then into the Black Swamp.
That Black Swamp and all that Susanna does to survive made me so appreciate my warm room and cup of coffee in my hand as I was reading. I actually felt her hunger pains as the book brought what she was going through to life.
The author also does a amazing job on telling each sisters story and how their fates play out.
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
After the abduction Susanna takes off after her sisters and their abductors.
The story takes Susanna to a weird Missionary village where she stays for a few months and then into the Black Swamp.
That Black Swamp and all that Susanna does to survive made me so appreciate my warm room and cup of coffee in my hand as I was reading. I actually felt her hunger pains as the book brought what she was going through to life.
The author also does a amazing job on telling each sisters story and how their fates play out.
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
sophiadh's review
Stories of settlers and Indians are not usually my cup of tea, but I could not put this book down. I found the writing quiet but compelling and vivid. When I get attached to characters I dislike their journeys, which I often feel are unnecessarily cruel in parts. But the Quiner sisters and their fates felt just right - as if they could be no other way. A very enjoyable read.
gigisxm's review
3.0
Nice read.
Interesting enough read. A bit slow in the beginning. Period pieces are not my cup of tea. But the misadventures of these redheaded sisters kept me quite captivated. The twists were interesting. I would have liked more from the indigenous perspective though.
Interesting enough read. A bit slow in the beginning. Period pieces are not my cup of tea. But the misadventures of these redheaded sisters kept me quite captivated. The twists were interesting. I would have liked more from the indigenous perspective though.