One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow: A Novel

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This isn’t a story about that murder, although it happens early on and is felt throughout the story. This is a story of how two families with all of the tension and emotion in the world goes on to make it through the long, cold winter without the men of their houses. This is a story about the forgiveness that comes-or doesn’t come-after such sin. Sixteen-year-old Clyde Webber takes on the burden of the heavy work at both homesteads, much to the angst and disagreement of his mother, because he can see how much the Bemis family needs him. And Beulah Bemis, just thirteen, takes to helping him. Beulah is much stronger and dependable than she appears. For both women living in the same house over winter is going to be a challenge and Nettie Mae has every right to hate Cora! Nettie Mae isn't as stern as she seems, she's a natural home maker and she loves children. Cora isn't a bad person, she wasn't prepared for the lonely isolated life on the remote prairie, Substance took advantage of her weakness and she has to live with her shame of her infidelity. Edit: After finishing this several weeks ago, I restarted it and read it super slowly. Savored the story and the language. My gosh, this book is so good. I felt the tension between Cora and Nettie Mae even more than in the first read, I felt all of the heartache and then the hope from start to finish, and I fell head-over-heels in love with the isolation and harshness of the Wyoming prairie. Since I enjoyed the book so much, enough to read it again immediately, and since I feel lost now that I'm done with my reread: I'm bumping my rating up from 4/5 to 5/5. This is a book to be savored. The writing is lyrical, the descriptions are incredible, the characters are realistic, the pace is a little slow (hence the deduction of a half star), but the plot pulled me in from the first line onward. The Wyoming Territory of the 1860's comes through so well that I felt the cold, the wind, and the dirt that came with farm living on the prairie during the time. As the story winds down, we are informed that the wronged widow, Nettie Mae, feels sisterly toward her adulterous neighbor, Cora. It would have been so much more satisfying if we could have come to that conclusion ourselves – without being TOLD. An eventual meeting of the minds or hearts – or a shared laugh between the two women is never disclosed. Forgiveness isn’t examined, either.

Set in the 1870 eastern Wyoming prairie in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains, two families with adjoining homesteads, the nearest town or neighbor twenty miles away, are broken and left without the leadership of their men when one catches his wife and neighbor in a compromising position. Speaking of characters, these are written very well. In fact, this book relies heavy on the characters and their thoughts and conversations to convey the story rather than big action scenes. Certainly there are things that happen that raise the suspense, but this story is carried by its characterization. This is a story about love and hate, but especially about life and death and the connection to nature. It's Historical Fiction at its finest!I didn't go into colonialism in this particular book because it's a story that's very self-contained and really only touches on the personal experiences and internal struggles of four people. If it had been broader in scope and had encompassed a wider variety of characters, or if it had involved more far-flung action instead of being contained to a few acres of land, then I certainly would have touched on the political issues of the setting. The book is told in alternating character voices – each one unique in its way. Ms. Hawker has a magical way of writing so that the reader feels immersed in the story. Living on the frontier in 19th century Wyoming was not for the faint of heart and you get a real sense of that as these two families strive to work together just to survive without their men. Hawker fleshed out the four main characters in unique fashion! Each section is broken into four chapters, beginning with 13-year-old Beulah's thoughts (told in 1st person). She is "eerie and wise", with the ability "to see and know". Her attunement with others and especially with nature gave me goosebumps! If anything, her character makes me appreciate the intricacies of life outdoors even more. The following three chapters, each told in 3rd person, incorporate Beulah's musings. We have: Cora (Beulah's mother) whose adulterous relationship sets the stage for this story; Nettie Mae (the neighbor woman) whose husband was killed by Cora's husband when he discovers their dalliance; and Clyde (Nettie Mae's 16-year-old son) who now is the "man of the family". Although I felt for each of these characters on various levels, it was Nettie Mae's perspective that I appreciated the most!

Nettie Mae Webber is now a widow with a farm and animals to look after with only her 16 year old son Clyde to help her. Cora Bemis has to live with her guilt and shame. Life on the prairie is hard and she only has herself to blame, her four children Beulah, Benjamin, Charles and Miranda need her. Soon it becomes very clear that Cora is going to struggle to survive the harsh winter on her own, she's isn't at all prepared, she has no money and the only person she can ask for help is her neighbor Nettie Mae! Losing her husband to Cora’s indiscretion is another hardship for stoic Nettie Mae. But as a brutal Wyoming winter bears down, Cora and Nettie Mae have no choice but to come together as one family - to share the duties of working the land and raising their children. There’s Nettie Mae’s son, Clyde - no longer a boy, but not yet a man - who must navigate the road to adulthood without a father to guide him, and Cora’s daughter, Beulah, who is as wild and untamable as her prairie home.I came across it on Goodreads a couple of years ago. It intrigued me enough to add it to my WTR list; and, The story is all about connections and the long-lasting consequences of the decisions people make when they lose connections. There's the connection between family members; the connections between neighbors/community members; the connection of humans and the natural world; and the connection of humans with the world after life has ended.

ANNNNDDDDD a major pet peeve- this author repeats half the story over and over and over again. I can't even with that. This for me was one of those books that the story was pretty decent but I got bored reading it. It should have been good but as I sit here thinking about it I just can't find a reason to say it was.What’s good about the book? The writing is VERY good. This author has a talent with words that is unmatched in most other books I have read. If you love literary fiction, this book is lyrical and written with elegance. That’s where it ends for me. Literary fiction is supposed to provide in-depth characterizations too. The four main characters are unique and moderately interesting, yet they sometimes respond in unexpected (unbelievable) ways (Clyde and the coyote). Of course, Cora and Nettie Mae have unsettled feelings between them, but when winter comes, they are forced together to tend the land and care for their children.