One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow

A Novel

By: Olivia Hawker

Narrated by: Jackie Zebrowski

From the bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night comes a powerful and poetic novel of survival and sacrifice on the American frontier.

Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn’t think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse.

Losing her husband to Cora’s indiscretion is another hardship for stoic Nettie Mae. But as a brutal Wyoming winter bears down, Cora and Nettie Mae have no choice but to come together as one family - to share the duties of working the land and raising their children. There’s Nettie Mae’s son, Clyde - no longer a boy, but not yet a man - who must navigate the road to adulthood without a father to guide him, and Cora’s daughter, Beulah, who is as wild and untamable as her prairie home.

Bound by the uncommon threads in their lives and the challenges that lie ahead, Cora and Nettie Mae begin to forge an unexpected sisterhood. But when a love blossoms between Clyde and Beulah, bonds are once again tested, and these two resilient women must finally decide whether they can learn to trust each other - or else risk losing everything they hold dear.

©2019 Olivia Hawker (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Never went anywhere

This could have been better , but the annoying voice of Cora drove me crazy and that made listening to the narrator when she did the speaking for Cora painful to listen to .
I just could not feel anything but annoyance with her character and the self pity made my teeth hurt . The saving grace of the book were two teenagers who really held the book together .
Also did not understand the cruelty of the animal scene with the coyote- I am not for sure why the author even placed this in the book and it was a turn off for me -
The book just did not go anywhere but maybe it was just me - seeing how some gave this 5 stars
I can not recommend it though
I did finally finish but it just seemed that the book never went anywhere

I was engaged until the coyote incident

Very engaging, so well written you can see in your mind the ranch, the river etc. But when Clyde killed the coyote I became instantly disappointed. No rancher or farmer would NOT kill a predator near his stock. To be so upset was just way too much for me. I don't care for the need to create such an almost nauseating sense of sentimentality. The story loses the truth of living in that time period by this characterization. A little drawn out with hlthe prose. With that I did enjoy the story over all and would recommend it.

Finally finished it

Not the kind of book you read through and can’t put down. Slow and way too much descriptions of things. Cora’s voice way too wimpy. Would not recommend it unless you have nothing else to read.

A wonderful gripping story

I read quite a bit, but rarely a novel. I’m not sure how I landed on this book, but will count it as one of the most memorable in my 72 years. The story is personal, reminding me of youthful thoughts so long ago. The writing is superb shifting from one character to another with a personal narrative at just the right time each time.

A Novel written as Poetry

The writing was loved unanimously by my whole book club. I enjoyed the storyline and have recommended the book to friends who love Mother Earth.

Gentil

With death and tragedy a constant in the air, this story is as gentle a one ever told.

loved this!

the only reason it got a 4 on performance instead of a 5, is because of Cora's part. Not a fan of the narration on hers.

The restraint and wisdom of the young people.

I loved the book. This was my first time with Olivia Hawker and I am hooked. In this chaotic world we live in right now, this was a beautiful escape to another time. My only dislike: Cora’s high pitched and child like voice.

Loved Everything About This Book!

You can dive right into the characters through their emotions. The storyline is wonderful and pulls you through the drama through a well written narrative. Looking forward to reading more books by Olivia Hawker!

Interesting story took me there

The characters were believable and their hardships on the prairie realistic. It was different than life on the farm is now without phones and automobiles I cannot imagine how we would fare