Everything She Didn't Say ~ Review

Everything She Didn't Say
By Jane Kirkpatrick

Carrie Adell Green married Robert Strahorn in September of 1877 and began the adventure of a lifetime. Following her husband into the wilderness of America's West at her own insistence she became a trailblazer embarking on one adventure after another. Roughing it with the men who were tasked with taming the West.

Robert was known for his articles and books about the West. His work was funded by the Union Pacific Railroad - a PR man if you will, tasked with convincing the average citizen to move West and bring civilization with them. Creating a market for what the railroad would be offering transportation of people to the West and goods to the East.

Carrie was not about to sit around waiting as Robert explored the West and insisted that he convince the UP officials that her presence would add to the appeal - a lady of family and standing who was able to traverse the unknown regions and dangers of the West, sharing her experiences, offering a woman's perspective.

Through her experiences, Carrie has to deal with disappointments - want of a permanent home, children, and a husband who was not quite what she wished. But Carrie persevered handling what came her way each and every time. And she recorded her experiences in a journal which she hoped to one day share with the world in a memoir.

Like all of Jane Kirkpatrick's books she once again draws on a person who helped shape our country and our way of thinking. Carrie Strahorn is a person of whom I had not been previously aware of and found her story to be a wonderful glimpse into the past. It is interesting how depending on the state/territory that they were visiting just what rights women had. I also found the attitudes of some of the men interesting when Carrie asserted her opinion and went along on excursions that they deemed too dangerous for a lady. I would highly recommend Everything She Didn't Say for a book club setting (in fact this will be one that I'll be using in my own book club next year). For teens looking for a historical fiction for a book report, this one is worth considering.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectation except that I give my honest opinion.


About the Book:

There is more than one way to tell a story . . . 

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In 1911, Carrie Strahorn wrote a memoir sharing some of the most exciting events of twenty-five years of shaping the American West with her husband, railroad promoter and writer Robert Strahorn. Nearly ten years later, she's finally ready to reveal the secrets she hadn't told anyone--even herself.

Certain that her writings will be found only after her death, Carrie confronts the pain and disappointment of the pioneering life with startling honesty. She explores the danger a woman faces of losing herself within a relationship with a strong-willed man. She reaches for the courage to accept her own worth. Most of all she wonders, Can she ever feel truly at home in this rootless life?

New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick draws out the emotions of living--the laughter and pain, the love and loss--to give us a window not only into the past but into our own conflicted hearts. Based on a true story.

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