Laura's Shadow: Volume 9

By Allison Pittman

Book Overview

Family Secrets Spill One Conversation at a Time

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

De Smet, South Dakota--1890
Young women growing up in DeSmet live by two rules: don't go out in a snowstorm and don't give your heart to Cap Garland. Young Mariah Patterson only managed to obey one. Orphaned and having devoted her youth to scrapping out a life with her brother Charles, Mariah finds herself with no interesting suitors or means of support. Throwing caution to the wind, she seizes an opportunity to lay her feelings at Cap's feet, even though she knows Cap sees the world through the torch he carries for Laura Ingalls. Mariah is certain her love for Cap will be strong enough to break both bonds, and she's willing to risk everything to prove it.

De Smet, South Dakota--1974
Trixie Gowan is the fourth generation of living Gowan women residing in the sprawling farmhouse on the outskirts of De Smet. Well, former resident. She's recently moved to Minneapolis, where she writes ads for a neighborhood paper edited by Ron Tumble. She might live and work in the city, but her co-workers still call her Prairie Girl. Thus the inspiration for her comic strip--"Lost Laura"--in which a bespectacled girl in a calico dress tries to make her way in the city. The name is a quiet rebellion having grown up in a household where she'd been forbidden to mention the name, Laura Ingalls. But when her great-grandmother Mariah's declining health brings Trixie home for a visit, two things might just keep her there: the bedside manner of Dr. Campbell Carter and the family secret that seems to be spilling from GG's lips one conversation at a time.

Don't miss other great books in the Doors to the Past series:
The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman
Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham
Bridge of Gold by Kimberley Woodhouse
Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel
Behind Love's Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels
High-Wire Heartbreak by Anna Schmidt
Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik
A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma
Laura's Shadow by Allison Pittman
Passages of Hope by Terri Haynes
In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel
The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1636093507
• ISBN13: 9781636093505
• Release Date: August 2022
• Publisher: Barbour Fiction
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

interesting take on Laura Ingalls Wilder's books

"Sometimes first love exists as a foundation for new love." This is not the first Allison Pittman book I have read but it feels very different from the ones I have read. I love dual timeline settings, I loved some of the books in this series, and I love the author's writing style so this book was a no-brainer for me to pick up. I really enjoyed that the 1890s timeline and 1970s timeline combined the great grandmother's story and the great granddaughter's. The author's beautiful prose is captivating. Perhaps it's that I am not a huge fan of Little House books but I had a bit of difficulty connecting with the 1890s plotline - a plotline revolving around the minor characters in Laura Ingalls Wilder's These Happy Golden Years. Mariah, Trixie's great grandmother, is one of the students that Laura Ingalls taught and life in 1890s South Dakota is told in her first person narrative. Mariah, as a young woman, is hard to understand though her tender relationship with her older brother Charles is a shining moment in her wearied and battle-scarred life. 1970s Trixie tells her tale in third person narrative and she was easier to connect with; she has great and hilarious conversations with Ron, her boss and possible love interest. It was interesting to see Mariah in 1970s as a hundred plus year old woman, grounded by faith and life experiences but still harboring loss and deep regret. Though I didn't necessarily connect with all the characters, I did appreciate the clever and intricate plot, the bond among the generations of women in Trixie's family, and the author's lyrical writing style. I received the book from the publisher via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

Not everyone loved Laura Ingalls Wilder

4 stars, Not everyone loved Laura Ingalls Wilder LAURA'S SHADOW (DOORS TO THE PAST # 9) by Allison Pittman This is a dual timeline, historical, Christian fiction novel. It is set in De Smet, South Dakota, the times are 1974 when Trixie Gowan is growing up in a multi-generational line of female relatives, and 1890 when Trixie's great grandmother Mariah Patterson, (whom Trixie calls GG) was a young woman, an orphan, living with her newly engaged brother. Everyone in their family knows that Mariah can't stand Laura Ingalls Wilder. There are family secrets and GG is ready to tell Trixie about her pain, through the years. This book has a loose description of a single man sleeping with a single woman, out of wedlock. It doesn't sound so out of the ordinary, in today's modern times, but in 1890, that is something that was simply not done. It may come as a shock to someone expecting a Christian historical fiction novel. My favorite character in this book is Merrill Gowan. He is a man with heart and the capability to love, much more than several of the other characters. I am thankful for the complimentary copy of #laurasshadow in the #doorstothepastseries I was under no obligation to post a review. #mystery #inspyfiction #historicalfiction #coverlove #allisonpittman #newrelease2022