A Heart for Any Fate:
Westward to Oregon, 1845
by Linda Crew

    A HEART FOR ANY FATE by Linda Crew
    Category:  Historical
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  2/1/09
    Publisher:  Ooligan Press
    Reviewed by:  Cat
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Lovisa King was just seventeen in the spring of 1845 when three generations of her family loaded up the green,
    canvas-covered wagons to make the two-thousand-mile journey from Missouri to Oregon.

    Born right in the middle of ten brothers and sisters, Lovisa begins their expedition with dauntless optimism and
    absolute certainty that her family's superior preparation will protect them from any hardships the Overland Trail may
    present. Even a last-minute reassignment to her sister Sarah and "bossy" brother-in-law Rowland Chambers' wagon
    can't diminish Lovisa's enthusiasm for the future that lies ahead.

    But the road west is cruel and indiscriminate, leaving a trail of fallen party members in its wake. The entire wagon
    train faces days of unanswered thirst, weeks of trekking across the barren plains in blistering heat, and storms of
    prairie sand so acidic that the only remedy is axle grease rubbed into raw skin.

    As death and disease ravage those she loves, with bone-deep weariness chipping away at Lovisa's soul, she begins
    to wonder if this expedition really has a terminus and when it does, how many Kings will be left standing when it ends.

    I'm a huge history buff, especially anything pertaining to the Old West. The problem with a lot of us enamored of
    these tales, though, is a tendency to romanticize a time and place full of brutal and harsh realities. Linda Crew
    effortlessly sidesteps this trap to capture Lovisa's story as it might have been.  Opening A HEART FOR ANY
    FATE is a general introduction to the U.S.'s great expansion, circumstances leading up to the citizen's migration, and
    life along the trail itself.

    Lovisa and her family are the heart of this story; searching, like so many Americans at the time, for a more
    prosperous fate in a new land. Ms. Crew did such a wonderful job creating this young woman's voice, I had to
    continuously remind myself that I wasn't reading an actual account of her experience; although if the truth be told, I
    was moved to tears more than once during my reading.

    A HEART FOR ANY FATE is a fascinating and moving depiction that immerses the reader into a defining period of
    American history and definitely shouldn't be missed.