I received an advance review e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is very well written historical fiction with real and fictional characters and events that portrays the difficulties and hardships encountered in the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. Emmy Evers is portrayed as a very strong, independent, and self-sustaining woman living during a time in our country when women made few family decisions and were very dependent upon a man. The characters are fully developed and the author writes in a very descriptive and colorful manner. I found this book fascinating and entertaining and had difficulty putting it down. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series. ( )

I was provided with a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. Widow Walk tells the tale of a family of settlers in the Northwest during the time when Northern Indian tribes routinely sent raiding parties south. Being Australian, I am not familiar with this historical period but I am aware that the author was meticulous in his seamless blending of fictional and factual characters and events to create this story. The story and characters are so well written it prompted some research of my own.

The heroin, Emmy is strong, intelligent and a bit of a rebel in a time where women were suppressed and oppressed. When her husband is killed and her son taken prisoner by Indians she sets of to broker a deal to buy him back. Needless to say that things don’t always go as planned, but Emmy is a resourceful woman in a period of history that was often violent and harsh. Great read. ( )

"Widow Walk is a historical fiction depicting real and fictional characters and events.
Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey (Isaac Evers in the story) did take a company to the Palouse to fight.
Captain George E. Pickett, who later achieved enduring fame during the War Between the States, almost provoked an international war with his standoff of the Brits at San Juan Island."

The two statements above were taken from the book, I edited them to remove any potential spoilers. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is well written fictionalized account of a historical event. I enjoyed reading it. There were some questions that remained at the end of the book, but there is a follow-up book Isthmus which I haven’t read. I would think some of these unanswered questions will be answered in the follow-up book.

Having lived in the Northwest, the setting of this novel, I have been on Whidbey Island, I have stood on the bridge over Deception Pass so it was fun reading about places I’ve been even though the events took place several generations before my family lived there. I am a little embarrassed to admit I know very little about the history of the area, but it is obvious that Mr. LaSalle has done his research.

The first few chapters introduce us to the main characters, each chapter from the point of view of one person. This allows for excellent character development, it doesn’t take long for us to get to know the characters in the book. At the same time we are ‘meeting’ the characters, we are also learning about the area, and the relationship between the settlers and the indigenous people. There is a good mix of people in this book, good, bad, mentally ill, courageous, greedy and unscrupulous. Mr. LaSalle has done a good job with the people in this book, he does not resort to making them stereotypical characters. You feel for the characters, bad and good, and even though I thoroughly disliked some of them, I understood why they did the things they did.

The history of the actions of the settlers vs the natives is also explored, showing the good and bad on both sides. It is a fact that the whites or “the men from Boston” as they are referred to in this book, tried to wipe out the native population. It is touched on briefly in this book.

I believe this book will appeal to readers of historical fiction, those who are interested in the history of this country. ( )

This review is from: Widow Walk (Widow Walk Saga Book 1) (Kindle Edition)

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. The things about Widow Walk that I liked the best were the descriptions of the places and the inclusion of the history of the area. I have only visited that area but I love the Pacific Northwest and the islands of Puget Sound in particular. I enjoyed reading about places that I have actually seen in person. The story only gets really engaging about halfway in and the writing could use some fleshing out. Characters should "show" their personalities rather than be "explained" to us by the author. I notice that Mr. LaSalle has some background in film. I felt that the story felt like a script at times. All in all I would say it is a fairly good, if predictable, story that could use some work. (Among other things, I thought the young children, the daughter especially, were given thoughts that seemed incongruous coming from such a young child.) Having said that, I wish the author well and expect future stories will, indeed, be interesting as well. I see that this is Book 1 of a saga. I might want to know more enough that I would read the next one. ( )

Having visited the northwest recently, I was totally drawn in to the book and story. The trials the protagonist endured was heart wrenching and the savagery of the the antagonist was unbelievable. Based on true events, the movement and colonization of the northwest surely took a toll on all involved. ( )