In Sixteen Brides, Stephanie Grace Whitson takes readers on a journey to the budding state of Nebraska in 1870. Sixteen widowed Civil War women decide to leave their lives in the southern United States to find a new one in Nebraska when a man promises them a brighter potential future (with some work of course) in the west where they can own land and homes without a husband. Only when they enter the western frontier, do they discover the harsh reality: the promised land is not exactly in town and the man in charge of bringing them over has a scheme to match them up with potential suitors.
Character Introductions
To begin reading Sixteen Brides is to dive head first into the background stories of several characters at once. The characters are, for the most part, introduced two at a time with few breaks in-between. The sheer number of female main characters becomes overwhelming. About a quarter way through the book, the character introductions stop and it becomes possible to associate names with the personalities. (Fortunately, the title is a little misleading and only a few of the original sixteen prove to be main characters.)
Character Believability
The unique personalities and background stories play a huge factor as to who agrees to go along with the plan and who resists being courted and strives to be an independent woman. The women who resist have the strongest personalities with unique skills. It is a little too convenient that these women bond with each other and their skills balance out: one is a great cook; one is a great planner; one is good at medical care; one knows how to sew; one knows how to shoot, etc. Despite the overall ease, they do face the challenges of living in a rural area, trying to build up a farm from nothing, and defending themselves from over-friendly advances. There is a certain level of believability in each character, including some of the male characters with just as unique background stories.
Review
Overall, Sixteen Brides is well written with a swift plot, convincing characters, and a pleasant, but perhaps, tied-up-a-little-too-neatly romantic ending. The story is told from third person omniscient. To gain insight about individual characters and their respective pasts, flashback is frequently used. While the use of dialect for conversation has the potential to be distracting, it is effectively executed for the southern belle accent and a rough country accent. The biggest detraction (after the overwhelming character introductions) is the religious element: each chapter begins with a quote from the Bible, and there are several references to God and Jesus that sometimes come across as a bit preachy. If this isn't a big deterrent and/or skim-reading isn't an issue, then this book is a great weekend or nightstand read.
About the Author
Stephanie Whitson is a speaker and writer who has published several books since 1995. Many of her books have been on the ECPA bestsellers list and finalists for several awards. She currently lives in Nebraska with her family where she continues to write.
Sources
Whitson, Stephanie Grace. Sixteen Brides. Bethany House, 2010. ISBN: 0764205137
Homepage of Stephanie Grace Whitson.
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