One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow: A Novel Kindle Edition

This was a wonderful story that unfolded from tragedy and moved through perseverance. Those pioneers that forged through farming in the west and survived are of the best form of strength. I loved how the characters moved from vulnerability to strength. It was a great read and reading the information from the author on how this was based on some family history just made it more interesting. I highly recommend this book.

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow is a captivating western family saga that begins with betrayal and violence and ends with tenderness and a family bondSet in the 1870 Wyoming prairie, two families are fractured -trying to survive without the leadership of their men -and winter is looming on the prairieWith one husband in jail serving time for the murder of the other, Cora and Nettie Mae have to turn to each other to keep their children safe and survive the long prairie winter.I loved how the book switched between the four main characters and I did appreciate the writing style with Beulah’s chapters written it italics. The rich descriptions of the prairie and of prairie life carried me right into the lives of the Webber and Bemis FamiliesSince this book was gifted to me by the wonderful Book Club Cookbook, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t give a mention to some of the farm bounty mentioned in the book.The book starts right out with Beulah reminiscing about the moment everything changed: “That’s what I was doing when I heard the shot—standing with one hand on the gate and my eyes closed, thinking about those berries and how, after milking was done, I’d pick a whole basketful and share them with my brothers and my baby sister, sweet and good with cream on top, the cream still warm from the cows.”Vivid descriptions like these are what make place and the people so real, right up the to the rooster dinner that is so heartwarming: “Nettie Mae sang to herself as she diced carrots and turnips into her big Dutch kettle, as she scored the fragrant skins of spring onions…She tucked a freshly killed rooster into the Dutch oven, sprinkled it with salt and cracked pepper, then fitted the kettle’s lid and eased it down into the coals of the fire. A good chicken dinner was just the thing for a celebration.”I highly recommend this wonderful book and I’ve picked up The Ragged Edge of Night by the same author and look forward to another great read.Much thanks The Book Club Cookbook and Olivia Hawker for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow is a lingering, poetic tale of two families ripped apart, then pulled back together by the murder of one patriarch by the other and his subsequent imprisonment. But this is no Hatfields vs. McCoys story. No, the two women and their children are forced by their total isolation to work together to maintain their two farms, or else risk starvation or death by cold.Fittingly, the feuding women are brought together at the insistence of their oldest children, Clyde and Beulah, who develop a deep and mysterious bond as they work side by side. Not so much a romance as the promise of one, brought about through an unconventional friendship.Fair warning, this is a slower read, as it has far more narration than dialogue or action--but its beauty and the unique voices of the protagonists make it well worth the time it takes to read. I enjoyed getting to move through the book in this way, digesting each set of chapters in their own time.The descriptive prose is the most pleasing part of the book, but the most well-written bit in terms of technique is the character viewpoints and perspectives. I was completely transported into the mind of each character and their thoughts and attitudes--from Clyde's pragmatic view and fears of becoming his father, to Cora's fear and guilt for having lost their men through her unfaithfulness, to Nettie Mae 's bitter resentment and unending grief for her lost children. And even to Beulah's mystical, otherworldly understanding and vision of the land and living things around them.That, friends, is hard to write effectively. I would not be surprised to see excerpts of this book turn up in how-to writing books, because it ought to be in at least one.One final character note--it seems to me that Beulah could be a person in the autism spectrum, based on several things. First, that she has little fear, and displays her emotions somewhat inappropriately to certain circumstances. Second, her stronger bonds with animals and plants than people, such that she is not well understood even by her own mother. And third, her extreme sensitivity to every detail and sensation in her environment. There are more such examples, but I thought this was interesting, and I have to wonder if this was intentionally implied by the author. If not, I'm still convinced of it.I highly recommend this book for the laidback reader, the budding writer seeking examples to inspire their own work, and to anyone who delights in wondering about the thoughts of others or in seeing the beauty of nature. Those seeking thrills and drama, look elsewhere.