"A man named Asa Mercer is looking for single women and widows to go with him to Seattle, in the Washington Territory. I never thought about going west before and the idea thrills me," writes 16-year-old Emeline McCullough. Based on the true story of the "Mercer Girls," Kirkpatrick's (Trouble's Daughter) novel traces Emmy's outward journey from the textile mills of Lowell, Mass., to the wilds of frontier Seattle in 1865–1866, along with her inward journey from shy, tongue-tied teen (she has a speech impediment) to confident young woman. The author spices up the proceedings with a mystery involving Emmy's benefactress and traveling companion. By the end of her voyage, the sympathetic and resilient heroine not only butts heads with the unscrupulous, opportunistic Mercer (he tries to squeeze additional passage money from the women mid-voyage and, when they reach Seattle, they learn that he has essentially sold them as brides to frontiersmen), but also survives several attempts on her life, a rocky romance and the transition to her new home, finding true love in the process. The narrative unfolds through diary entries and correspondence, and is workmanlike rather than lyrical, while the plot occasionally slips into melodrama (e.g., the plethora of problems that beset Emeline). An author's note sheds additional light on the Mercer expeditions and western emigration, but Jennifer L. Holm's recent novels about Boston Jane do a more complete job of outlining the challenges for women setting out for the frontier in the 19th century. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
