The title of this book is more exciting than the actual book. The premise is terrific: independent young woman heads west to find her place in life. The reality is the book is about the ten years before the Civil War and parts of it are pretty boring, unless you find the subject of the abolitionists entertaining.
The book starts out with Lidie at loose ends after her father has died. She describes herself as a tall, plain woman with no domestic accomplishments. She hates cooking, cleaning, sewing and she has no prospects of marriage. Her sisters don't know what will become of her. Fortunately, an abolitionist passes through town on his way out to the Kansas Territory and he is struck by Lidie's seeming air of independence and they end up married and off to prove up their claim in the territory.
Many abolitionists are settling in Kansas in an attempt to keep the territory away from the influence of the slave states. They are the Free State faction. They face lots of opposition, mostly from the neighboring state of Missouri. Pro-slavery forces from Missouri try to intimidate and drive off the Free Staters. A lot of the book is about the conflicts between the two groups. Parts of it are more like reading a history book than a novel.
So after all her trials and tribulations out west, Lidie ends up right back where she started and manages to accomplish nothing at all for all her endeavors. Which was a pretty disappointing ending.
Review by Heller McAlpin in the LA Times: http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/05/books/bk-36038.
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