Sixteen Brides

This started out as a book about 16 women who leave behind their homes and move across country because of a promise of a new start in a small town in Nebraska. It takes place shortly after the Civil War and many of the women are widows who have many different and unusual circumstances that have made them decide to take this journey. Don't get discouraged thinking you can't possibly keep track of all these women in the story, because you will soon be narrowing it down to a more managable number.
I usually read books with fewer main characters, but did enjoy the wide variety of ladies in this story and how I grew to like each one of them. I loved Zita's words of wisdom and her spunk even though she was the oldest of them all. I enjoyed show more watching Caroline and Ruth break out of their "proper" way of doing things and loosen up into ladies who could fall in love with men much different than they ever imagined. And dear Ella, what a trooper! Then there was Saly and Hettie, but you really need to read the book and get to know them all. show less

Really good story about a group of single women (widows, divorcees, and otherwise) who are lured to the wilds of Nebraska by a man promising homesteads but who really meant to supply brides to the men already out there. While some of the Ladies Emigration Society are okay with it, once it comes to light, a feisty group of misfits and independents decide to band together to make a go of it. They meet many interested locals along the way, some good and some quite bad. The stories of the different women and the people of their new community are interesting and wonderfully told. Stephanie Grace Whitson weaves a complex and wonderful tale. As a "Christian writer" she lets those pieces complement rather than overbear the story, and I felt show more like it was part of the time and place rather than a sermon. Folks who are not religious will enjoy this just as well as any other really good historical fiction. show less

Well! I thought this certainly sounded like an intriguing premise… and I looked forward to a lot of strong-willed women trying to duke it out amongst themselves in the wild West. And for the most part, that’s what happened, so I was rather pleased: the women were strong, emotional, capable, but flawed. Yes, that’s right — they were realistically portrayed, and for the amount of women that Whitson had to focus on over the course of the story, it was extremely well done!

From a writer’s perspective, telling the story from the perspective of FIVE main characters is an extremely risky and difficult move, but Whitson pulled it off with skill. They each had their own very strong but distinct voice, and if I ever meet Whitson in show more person, I’d love to congratulate her on handling it so well.

However… and I hate to say this because the author managed her material so well… the story really did seem to drag during the final third of the book. After several hundred pages of getting the women there, having the love stories get set up and the problems progress, I was ready to resolve everything and be done with it. I think several of the sub-plots simply dragged on too long, and she could have ended the book about a hundred pages earlier without losing anything.

That said, this is the kind of historical fiction that you’ll enjoy if you like this kind of historical — a bit predictable, but entertaining along the journey. For me, I found the inclusion of flaws for each woman to be very refreshing — especially since so many women in the Christian fiction I’ve read recently have been so nearly perfect that I’ve wanted to scream (as you know if you’ve read my previous reviews).

Again, this is one for the church library — but you might as well read it first! You may not love it, and you may find the story drags a bit, but you have to at least admire the skill with which Whitson follows FIVE main characters through the whole novel. Why not give it a try? show less

I had a hard time getting into this book as the number of characters created chaos in the plot and point-of-view for the first few chapters. I could not keep track of who I was supposed to be following, and I felt like I needed a chart to keep them all straight in my head as I read. I kept wanting to ask the author, "Are 16 women really necessary?"
Luckily, that number was cut by more than half when the train stops in Plum Grove, Nebraska, leaving behind the important characters and sending the expendible ones away - how convenient. This is where I feel that the plot actually begins, as the women carve out lives for themselves, even as they experience character growth and rejuvenation. The men are also introduced at this point, and I show more found them to be more imaginative and unique than the females in the book. The dynamics between Michael Ransom and Lucas Gray, cousins, are very interesting, as Whitson only reveals a bit at a time about their relationship with each other. I wished that more had been written about Jeb Cooper, as the paradox that he lives daily was very entertaining to read.
The background information and historical details were interesting, as I knew little before reading this book about frontier towns and the founding and running of a homestead. I find it ironic that although all of the women are strongly opposed to being hitched to a man again, given that they all claim to be widows, romance seems to be necessary to each of their character developments. The romance was the most predictable aspect of the novel, with almost every woman gravitating noticeably to a man.
The idea that war widows were shipped out to the frontier as prospective brides made for excellent novel potential, but I felt the idea fell a bit short, as the man responsible in the book for these sixteen women was not followed in point-of-view passed his departure from Plum Grove. Neither was much said about the other women that went on to Cayote with him. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall at those women's proposals from strangers and hear their rationale behind making such a choice to be delivered and bid on like so many heads of cattle. show less

Delightful and refreshing. Whitson did a great job pulling the story of each bride together. However, I did wonder what became of the brides that did not stay in Plum Grove. I enjoyed the chapter heading verses and I appreciated the way these new friends encouraged the other and allowed them to grown and become whole. What an adventure this must have been and proud of these women for taking the chance.

I liked this boom overall. A simple Christian based story of starting again. An easy read with no unnecessary surprises I think there are a few plot points that could be better developed but all in all the book is what it says.

I first saw this book listed in a catalog, and even though I'm not a Christian myself, the premise looked interesting enough that I decided to check it out anyway. It's a cute, fluffy story about sixteen women - most of them widowed in the Civil War's aftermath - who decide to move west to Nebraska to claim land. Unfortunately, they don't realize that the man organizing the movement has his own motives and is passing them off as brides.

The "main" group is quickly whittled down to six women and a boy. Still, it's really difficult to write a story with six main characters (not to mention the relationships that they form with others!) and keep the story from overwhelming the reader. At times I had difficulty remembering who was who or who show more knew what, but for the most part, this book was surprisingly easy to keep up with while reading. And though it is a Christian book, and there is some preaching involved, the author doesn't try to hit the reader over the head with religion. In fact, one of the women makes a few relatively racy comments.

Altogether, the book was a fun read. There's nothing earth-shattering here, but it is a cozy story that leaves the reader feeling good in the end. show less