Two Frontiers

Written by Chris Pepple
Review by Laura Fahey

The Mexican-American War (1846-48) forms the tense dramatic backdrop to Chris Pepple’s Two Frontiers, in which Elizabeth Dodd and Daniel Howe must negotiate their love for each other while dealing with both the ordinary hardships of 19^th-century civilian life and the dangers attending General Winfield Scott’s campaigns across the border.

Pepple mixes straight historical narration with Daniel’s reports from the front lines to produce an authentic-feeling, very readable dramatization of what living through the experience must have been like for both civilian and military participants dealing both with bullets and with rampant diseases.

One slight comment: whilst the cover is attractive, it is not eye-catching and does not convey what the story is about, which is a bit of a shame. However, it is a smoothly enjoyable book.