After three long years of scrimping and saving to buy tickets for their passage to America, Roald and Ingeborg Bjorklund, along with their son, Thorliff, finally arrive at the docks of New York City. It was the promise of free land that fed their dream and lured them from their beloved home high above the fjords of Norway in 1880.
As they join the throngs of countless immigrants passing through Castle Garden, the Bjorklunds soon discover that nothing is as they had envisioned it. Appalled by the horrid stories of fellow immigrants forced to live in squalid living conditions, they continue their long journey by train as far as Grand Forks. From there a covered wagon takes them into Dakota Territory, where they settle on the banks of the Red River. But there was no way for them to foresee the price they will have to pay to wrest a living from the indomitable land. The virgin prairie refuses to yield its treasure without a struggle. Will they be strong enough to overcome the hardships of that first winter?
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"Prairie stories usually abound in cliches, but Snelling avoids every one of them."
— Booklist Starred Review
Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of more than 100 books, fiction and nonfiction, for adults and young adults. Her books consistently appear on CBA bestseller lists and have been translated into Norwegian, Danish, and German. A hallmark of her style is writing about real issues within a compelling story. Her books have sold more than five million copies. She won a Silver Angel Award for An Untamed Land and a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart for Song of Laughter. She also writes for a wide range of magazines and teaches at writers’ conferences across the country. Find out more at www.laurainesnelling.com.
Callie Beaulieu, audiobook narrator, has been an actress for several decades. Classically trained, she is predominantly a theater actress, and her work has been seen around the country. She is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.