What do You think about Land Of My Heart (2004)?
I feel like I keep running into Tracie Peterson books and have been meaning to check her out for quite a while. Unfortunately, I started with the wrong book. This one just didn't appeal to me. It was soooo slow. The family decides to head west in a lengthy conversation that really could have been summarized. Then the heroine packs and packs and has a drawn out scene saying goodbye to her friends (that we haven't seen before and assume we won't see again so it was difficult to feel anything about the departure). I thought it would pick up once the journey began and there were a few parts that I enjoyed. But the journey was, in my opinion, dry. The heroine experiences a lot of loss, but the characters felt superfluous (and in one case in the way) before they were written out so there was little mourning. And so many conversations seemed like a chance for the author to show off her research and give a history lesson rather than adding to the characterization or the story. I'd be less negative if there had been a satisfying conclusion to the book. But in the end, I kind of felt like I read it for nothing.
—Amanda
This is Christian Fiction, which is frequently written at an 8th grade level so I don't expect it to be too weighty but Tracie Peterson missed the mark with Land of My Heart. Wagon Train stories are usually pretty digestible if you like that genre which I do, but Ms. Peterson didn't make the effort to develop any of her characters well. In this novel the reader can't identify with any of the characters which makes it difficult to care about the story. There isn't a character who makes a normal decision and the reader knows ahead of time exactly where the story is going each time the author advances the plot with another unlikely event. I hate to bad mouth authors but why would Petersen take the time to churn out such drivel when with just a little more effort she could have made this book enjoyable?
—Donia Hunter
"Land of My Heart", by Tracie Peterson, begins in the Spring of 1864, in New Madrid, Missouri. Dianne Chadwick's family is much affected by the ongoing War Between the States. Her father, Ephraim, a store owner, does business with the entrenched Union Army, much to the outrage of the many loyal Confederate sympathizers in the town. There is much unease and lawlessness due to the continued conflicts and losses from the war. When Ephraim is killed in the crossfire of a shoot-out in front of his store, Dianne urges her mother to join a wagon train heading to the Idaho territory. After much discussion, the family decides to move forward, hoping to connect with their mother's brother, Bram. The oldest son, Trent, stays behind with plans to join the Rebel Army. Just before they begin the journey, their mother, Susannah, discovers that she is pregnant. Becoming a widow, learning of an unexpected pregnancy, and uprooting the family for a long and perilous journey takes a sad toll on Susannah. Through all the hardships and unimaginable loss endured by the Chadwick family on their way to their new life, it is Dianne who becomes the head of the family. She is truly an admirable heroine, a young lady who takes much responsibility upon herself as the family situation becomes increasingly trouble-filled. Susannah slowly loses her grip on reality, a situation worsened by an addiction to laudanum. Her grief over her tragic personal losses combines with her innate prejudices and she is often irrational and prone to rants. Much to her mother's dismay, Dianne becomes good friends with a freed slave and her husband. Later, when the family finally connects with Uncle Bram, he is reluctant to offer them much assistance, not wanting them to join him at his home place. His wife is a Native American, and he knows that his sister has strong prejudices. At the start of the wagon train journey, Dianne had been somewhat at odds with the wagon master's assistant, Cole Selby. Though Cole is a loner, almost taciturn, he somehow manages to rescue Dianne on more than one occasion. An attraction grows between them, but it is a tumultuous time in both their lives. Back home, Dianne's brother Trent begins a series of misadventures which leaves him wondering if he will ever see his family again. Nothing has gone according to plan. Each character faces more than one crisis of faith, and life is harsh, with disaster and death coming on swift horses. This is the first book in Tracie Peterson's "Heirs of Montana" series, and there are three more books which detail the continued life adventures of Dianne Chadwick and her family and friends. If you like historical western romance, and enjoy story lines with strong heroines, then you will greatly enjoy the "Heirs of Montana" saga.
—Virginia Campbell
