One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
In the Northern Wyoming prairie in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains, the Bemis and Webber families are the only settlers for miles, with the nearest town 20 miles away. It is 1876 when Ernest Bemis comes across his wife, Cora, with the neighbor, Substance Webber. In a fit of rage, he shoots and kills Substance. Now with Substance in the grave and Ernest in jail, both wives are without husbands and left alone with the responsibility of the farms and their children. Life is harsh on the prairie, so with winter looming and the harvest not gathered, the loss of the men is devastating. Nettie Mae Webber is consumed with bitterness and hatred over Cora Bemis’s betrayal. At the same time, she feels relief at losing her brutal and uncaring husband. Cora is consumed with guilt and regret. It is 13-year-old Beulah Bemis and 16-year-old Clyde Webber, both resilient, likable characters, who try to carry the workload. They realize the real danger their families face with the coming winter. Nettie is hard to convince of the necessity of working together and moving the Bemis family into her house. When they join households, her animosity towards Cora creates conflict. She does everything to keep Clyde and Beulah separated, out of fear of a romance blooming.
Hawker’s language is very descriptive and poetic, but the extended flowery prose gets very tedious and adds unnecessary length to the book, while overshadowing an insubstantial plot. As Beulah, Clyde, Cora, and Nettie Mae each tell their stories, there is often overlap and repetition. This is a story of life and death, the beauty of nature, and healing, sorrow, and redemption. Readers who like extensive, descriptive prose and less plot will enjoy this book.
