The River Remembers by Linda Ulleseit

 Samantha Lockwood, Day Sets, and Harriet Robinson come to Fort Snelling from very different backgrounds. It’s 1835 and the world is changing, fast, and they are all struggling to keep up. After she refuses another suitor he’s chosen for her, Samantha’s father banishes her to live in the territory with her brother. He, too, tries to take over her marriage plans—but she is determined to find her own husband, even when her choices go awry. 

 
Day Sets demands that her white husband create a school to educate their daughter, supporting her father’s belief that his people must learn the ways of the white man in order to ensure the tribe’s future. Until events prove her father wrong. 

 
Harriet’s life in the territory is more like that of a free person than anywhere she’s lived. She even falls in love with Dred Scott and dreams of a life with him. But they are both enslaved, and she keeps being reminded of how little control she has over her own fate. 

As their cultures collide, each of these three women must find a way to direct her own future and leave a legacy for her children.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: The River Remembers: A Novel: 9781647424503: Ulleseit, Linda: Books

I have always loved to write stories. Somewhere I have a story written in crayon on lined newsprint paper from elementary school. It's about a pig. I know that because there's a pink circle with a curly pink tail. My stories have evolved quite a bit since then!

I wrote secretly for many years, through middle school, high school, and college. I became a teacher and remember telling my sixth graders, "Everyone has a story. Of COURSE you can write it! You need perseverance first, to finish it. Then we'll talk about making it better." Hmmm, I thought. Maybe I should practice what I preached. So I finished On a Wing and a Dare, which I'd been working on for five years. I was very proud of it. Beta readers ripped it apart. It took two more years of polishing before I published it.

Now I can say I write stories empowering unknown women in history. Bringing these voices to life is my passion. UNDER THE ALMOND TREES does this, as well as THE ALOHA SPIRIT and THE RIVER REMEMBERS.

Linda Ulleseit was born and raised in Saratoga, California, and is a retired elementary school teacher. She has an MFA in writing from Lindenwood University, is Marketing Chair of Women Writing the West, and a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers. She enjoys cooking, cross-stitching, reading, and spending time with her family. 

My Thoughts...

Sad, Hardship, historical, redemption are just a few words that come to mind after reading these women's stories.

I hope that you have this on your to be read pile.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.