The Meadowlark

By: B.C. Walker

Narrated by: Tawnya Rollingson

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1885, southeastern Idaho was the last part of the country to open for homesteading. Young Cassie Rapp arrives with her family to farm a country overrun by sagebrush and lacking water. With others they meet, they harness the mighty Snake River and turn 100,000 acres of barren earth into the rich farm community it is today.

Meanwhile, modern-day character Emma Rose, a notable speaker and business consultant, is trying to make sense of her recently deceased father’s request to be buried in a small Idaho town. Her journey of discovery begins from there.

The Meadowlark is a sweeping saga of generations of powerful women set against the building of the American West and a modern discovery of deep family roots. Rich in historical detail and human emotion, this is the story of the uphill struggles endured by the people settling this country, and the pride, perseverance, and faith it takes to succeed.

The Meadowlark offers the debut of a strong new writer. B.C. Walker combines a keen observer’s eye and the particularity of place to lay out a lush, large-scale, multi-generational story.

©2022 B.C. Walker (P)2022 B.C. Walker

Beautiful story, connecting generations.

This beautifully written story portrays the Snake River valley both in the past and present. The small details including common last names from the area, friendly small town culture, the heart break of rural farm life trauma, and the delights of scones, honey butter, and iron port cherry at the local drug store. Inspires commitment to remain connected to generations of family.

Great narrator

Loved the narrator for this book. The story was really good - especially the historical background on the Snake River and early pioneers. I could tell the author had a deep connection to that area. The book needed tighter editing. More showing, less telling.

Historical?

I chose this book because of its ties to Southeastern Idaho — my home. I was disappointed that the modern day depiction of Willow Creek was so off. The geographical descriptions do not match reality. My grandfather was born in Willow Creek but the townsite no longer exists. The same novel could have been written about real places.

Historical novels, in my opinion, should get the history correct (even as inventing characters and lives). This one caused me to be distracted because I did not feel I could trust the history because of the liberties the author took with the details of the area in the modern era.

Excellent narration!

Tawnya did a great job narrating this book with its vast array of characters. The story started off a bit slow for me but got better and more cohesive as it moved along. Provided an interesting look at history of that part of the country that isn’t often heard.

A fun, historical-modern romance!

The story begins in the late 1800s with a pioneer family in Idaho. And this is interwoven with a contemporary story of a businesswoman looking for romance. these two plot lines are linked mysteriously, and slowly converge. it's a lot of fun to see how they unfold. it's also a heartwarming romance, and a tale of how connecting to our ancestral roots is a source of life. an excellent debut novel!