The Beloved Wild

Harriet wants more than the life she sees in front of her: wife to the farmer next door, cooking and cleaning and bearing babies until she dies. When her brother determines to go west to the Genesee Valley to seek his fortune, Harriet is determined to accompany him -- and she has her own plans for what she will do when she gets there.

I really enjoyed the first three quarters of this book. There's a long stretch before they leave New Hampshire, but that helps establish the characters. The book is from Harriet's perspective, so the character development is subtle as she changes her opinions on characters, and occasionally makes mistakes and regrets them. Once they head west, the pace picks up a little, but for me, the ending felt rushed show more and lacking explanation for some characters' actions. So, while I enjoyed much of this book, the last portion makes me hesitate to recommend it broadly. show less

Literary merit: okay
Characterization: okay
Recommend: no
Level: lower high school

The character development was good and liked the strong willed young women, Harriett. She knew what she wanted out of life and was willing to risk everything to get it. But once she got it, she realized what she had was better or more what she wanted. Kind of slow, but not a bad story.