Way West

I was kind of excited to read this book, I really enjoy stories of pioneers and thought this one would be like others I have read; I was wrong.  It was an unusually written book, written in first person, but skipping from character to character.  There were many times I wasn't sure who was thinking or speaking, especially in the beginning.  It was really like a Charles Dickens book, where you don't understand what the people are saying and then about 1/3 of the way into the book all of the sudden you realize that you're actually understanding what is going on.  The book is about a group of people who leave Missouri in hopes of finding a better life in Oregon.  Each of the families is different.  The main family is a man, Lije Evans, his wife and their teenage son.  The other members of the party had all kinds of views, and many of them weren't really cut out for traveling in covered wagons and were more fit for cities and politics.    Lije Evans soon leads the train and does a great job and learns that he is a leader, something his wife knew all along.  Just a warning at the beginning there are parts where you delve into some of the minds of the older men looking at a beautiful young lady; it's not real bad, just enough to make me a little uncomfortable.

They of course meet with many dangers and sad events, one time loosing a young child, (which was an extremely sad part) and an act of adultery.  Soon you see how tough the people are and even though I didn't think it was possible in the beginning, you come to care for the families that finally made it to Oregon. 

The Evans' friend Dick Summers was probably my favorite character.  He was a rough, tough, true cowboy.  He had lived many years as a trapper and knew the land and territory and also the Indians well.  He gave up that life and married and settled down in Missouri.  His wife died (this part was a bit confusing) and so he decided to help the group travel to Oregon.  While on the trip he realized that he wasn't ready to give up that lifestyle and continues on after the other people in the group settle.

Overall, it wasn't my favorite book ever.  It was good, but I felt it dragged on a bit.  It felt like we were forced to hear what happened everyday, even though it gets a bit monotonous.