The Daughter's Walk

This was my March book club read. From the beginning I was prejudiced against it: the plot sounded unbelievable, so I didn't vote for it. Yet alas it was chosen, so read it I did. Here is the unbelievable plot, which is yet true since this is historical fiction: a Norwegian-American, Helga, accepts a wager from the fashion industry to walk from Spokane, WA to New York City in the span of seven months. If she succeeds she will be given $10,000 and be able to save her family farm which is otherwise threatened with foreclosure. She takes her daughter, Clara, with her. Oh, and all this takes place in 1897. After an account of the walk the book goes on to follow Clara as she becomes estranged from her family, searches for her own family, and seeks ever more financial security.

                                                                

Things I liked about the book:
1. The setting of the late 1800s and early 1900s is described quite well.
2. I learned about pompadours and the "reform dress".
3. I came to appreciate my right to vote.
4. Clara is an intriguing character, always on the brink.


Pompadour!

Things I did not like:
1. The story is still unbelievable. I don't care if it's true.
2. Ah! So agonizing!
3. People keep dying.
4. There's something lacking in terms of plot, such as, well, a plot.

I recommend this story only because of the bizarreness of the main plot point, but I would say, feel free to just read until the end of the journey. Nothing resolves itself the way you want it to. And no climax really occurs. It was fun to discuss at book club though. So if you read it, make someone else read it with you.