Red River of the North Historical Series

An Untamed Land

By Lauraine Snelling
Bethany House, $9.99

ISBN 1556615760

Norwegian Settlers In Epic

Review by Kay Cornelius

Lauraine Snelling launches her new Red River of the North historical series with An Untamed Land as members of the Bjorkland family make their plans in Norway in 1877 to journey to "Amerika."

The story follows two couples: Roald Bjorklund, his wife Ingeborg, and his young son Thorliff; and Roald's brother Carl and his wife Kaaren, who endure the discomforts of the long ocean voyage, finally reaching the port of New York in 1880.

The newcomers are shocked at the poor living conditions they encounter in the "promised land." Not speaking English, they feel confused at every turn, but they thank God for the kind people of all nationalities who help them. The harsh living conditions contribute to Ingeborg's miscarriage, and she prays that she can someday give her husband another son.

Slowly the immigrants make their way by train to the frontier town of Fargo, where they find suitable land, along with a host of other problems.

Strangely enough, their source of aid in the new land is Metis, an Indian woman who says the land had been her father's. She shows the Bjorklunds how to live on the land and survive illness and accidents.

Ingeborg's struggle is the focus of the story as it culminates in the worst winter of her life. Tragedy strikes, shaking her faith and testing her ability to survive An Untamed Land.

The eternal truths in this well-researched story ring as true as the historical accuracy of its setting. Most of all, it conveys the sense of many people from many backgrounds coming together to create a new country. Readers will certainly want to follow the further adventures in later episodes.