These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 : A Novel

by Nancy E. Turner

book data

4579 ratings, 4.53 average rating, 1765 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		61%
4		30%
3		6%
2		0%
1		0%

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published

1998 by ReganBooks

binding

Hardcover, 384 pages

isbn

0060392258 (isbn13: 9780060392253)

description

"A thread of truth can weave a powerful story. Plumb powerful, as Sarah Prine might say....Taking great-grandmother Sarah's diary as an inspi...more

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Annalisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

11/08/08

bookshelves: book-club, favorite-books, historical-fiction

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Annalisa by: Hannah Coleman

The reason I loved this book comes down to one word: authenticity. I bought into this woman's life and believed these characters. I have this vivid picture in my mind of this ranch out in the middle of nowhere with Sarah out there putting laundry on the line with a pistol tucked in her rugged apron.

I don't like western movies or get into frontier stories and was worried, especially by the title, that the grammar would rake on my nerves. But the story is about a thirst for education as much ...more The reason I loved this book comes down to one word: authenticity. I bought into this woman's life and believed these characters. I have this vivid picture in my mind of this ranch out in the middle of nowhere with Sarah out there putting laundry on the line with a pistol tucked in her rugged apron.

I don't like western movies or get into frontier stories and was worried, especially by the title, that the grammar would rake on my nerves. But the story is about a thirst for education as much as anything else and as Sarah learns, her writing improves. It may be rare to find a woman in the late 1800s who wants to go to college, considers women on the same level as men and doesn't want a man to care for her, and treats Mexicans and Indians as her own white neighbors, but there is enough 19th-century humility, morality, and territory toughness to keep her era appropriate. Unlike Little House on the Prairie with obvious '80s-era actors fighting against stigmas of the day, I found Sarah to be the perfect frontier woman, a little forward thinking, but just enough to make her yearning add to her perfection.

We find all kinds of characters in the book: Indians, Army men, ranchers, Mexicans, Quakers, spoiled Easterners, foreigners, even polygamist Mormons, all minor characters splattered throughout Sarah's life to give us a feel for the type of people around the territories in those days. Mingled with the mundane, which I found interesting, was enough excitement, like Indian attacks and the danger of women alone, to make me want to keep reading. It gave me the sense of how fragile life could be with attacks, childbirth, disease, and nature.

Turner did a fantastic job of giving us a picture of life on the early frontier without making it feel like she's teaching us what life on the early frontier is like. You find out the chore it is to cook a long meal and put together a bath without running water because Sarah is exasperated without any help. Through Sarah's commentary we learn about housing conditions, cattle herding, adjusting and making clothes, mail and bank systems, conditions on wagon trains, and even conjugal issues with whispered conversations with Savannah. These were my favorite, especially Savannah's Quaker rigidness strictly against kissing before marriage. Occasionally, like the article describing their new home with indoor plumbing, I felt pulled out of the story with the intention clear to educate on the times more than describe Sarah's life, but overall the description felt like Sarah's life and not overview.

The other authentic aspect of the book that I loved was the love story. Not your unrealistic perfect man who can do no wrong but really that creates a man who is overbearing or too emotionally unrealistic. No, this is a real-life love story about a relationship that makes you crazy mad and impatient at the same time. Love through the ups and downs of life. A man who is stubborn in being himself but even though he understands her better than herself, requires her not to change either, who just wants to be with her and finds all her imperfections endearing. It's the guy who may be a little rough on the outside, not the one who knows just how to smooth talk his way into your heart, who will treat you like gold. I really enjoyed their story, and the suffering and learning she had to go through to get there. The perfect combination of excitement and believability to make me want to read the story but keep it real too....less

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

10 comments

Brookann rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

03/21/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Brookann by: Holly
recommends it for: anyone

I was completely taken by this book! The library fines are racking up because it is overdue and I can't renew it because it has been requested by someone else, but I can't let it go because I find myself going back to it to reread passages and "reliving" moments of the book in my mind. I shed many a tear and towards the end was so enraged I almost threw the book, but I simply cannot stop thinking about it! I'm dying to discuss it with someone.

It is the beautiful and heartbreaking s...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

2 comments

Jenn rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

01/11/08

Read in October, 2007

recommended to Jenn by: Jessica Kern
recommends it for: anyone

Title: These is My Words
Author: Nancy Turner
Genre: fictional diary, family, romance
Pages: 384
Rating (out of 5 stars): *****
Reviewed by: Jenn
Description: This book is a novel written in diary format, as Sarah Prine tells her own story of living in the Arizona Territories from 1881-1901. Over this course of time, the rugged, uneducated, vivacious young Sarah grows into an informed, reflective, sincere (and still feisty) woman. The novel shows the dangers, excitement, injustice, hardshi...more

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Jen rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

10/04/07

Read in January, 2006

I totally DID NOT want to read this book, but did for a book group. I loved it. It reminded me of my grandma who grew up AZ and the crazy, hard life that she had. I remember feeling like she was kind of strange, uneducated, and maybe a little scary because she was so tough... she had like 18 inch biceps-- we are talking strong. She was just so different from my other very educated,very classy, rich grandma that I was close to growing up. After reading this book I really wished I would have taken...more

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Amanda rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

07/08/08

Read in July, 2008

This is, UNEQUIVOCALLY, the best love story I have read.

I devoured this book -- I simply could not put it down. The beginning was gritty, heart-wrenching, and a grammatical mess. Yet, this is part of the author's brilliance. As the main character, Sarah, matures, she is strengthened by her experiences. And as Sarah educates herself at every opportunity, the grammar and story-telling improve.

Without giving anything away, I cannot put into words the romance between Sarah and Captain Jack E...more

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2 comments

Rachelle rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

08/27/08

bookshelves: i-want-to-own-this-book

Read in September, 2007

This is pretty much my favorite book I've ever read along with it's sequel Sarah's Quilt. First of all, it is a beautiful love story. I cried so much. Any book that makes me feel really emotional, I consider to be a good book. But it is also an incredible tale of determination and down right stubborness. I love that Sarah learned to read, loved learning and by so doing changed her life. I love the way she endured challenges. I want to read it again so I can put more details in here.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

5 comments

Shannon rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

11/10/08

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Shannon by: Book Club
recommends it for: Fans of Pioneer Stories

***You may have received this review yesterday, but I didn't mean to post it since I hadn't finished compiling my thoughts. Sorry for the confusion. My complete review is below.***

I'll start by admitting that I would never have read this book if it hadn't been a book club selection. There are two main reasons it would never have made it on to my "To Read" list: 1) the title is incorrect grammar and 2) it is written in diary format.

I'm still not sure, even after reading the ...more ***You may have received this review yesterday, but I didn't mean to post it since I hadn't finished compiling my thoughts. Sorry for the confusion. My complete review is below.***

I'll start by admitting that I would never have read this book if it hadn't been a book club selection. There are two main reasons it would never have made it on to my "To Read" list: 1) the title is incorrect grammar and 2) it is written in diary format.

I'm still not sure, even after reading the entire book, why the title is incorrect grammar. The main character doesn't write improperly in spite of the fact that she never received formal schooling. As to the diary format, I got used to it over time, although it did provide a choppier narrative than I would really like. One ongoing limitation of the diary format was limited character development. Because the story was told exclusively from one very limited point of view, I didn't feel like I got to know all of the characters as well as I would like. I wondered if this was a limitation on the author's part that she dealt with by using a diary format for the book.

While I didn't get to know the other characters well, I did feel like I got a pretty good picture of Sarah Prine, the narrator. Early on I was intrigued by Sarah because she finds an abandoned wagon full of books and basically commandeers it. Any woman who loves books that much deserves my attention!

I not only got to know Sarah while reading the book, I admired her. She was fiercely independent, entrepreneurial, tough, creative, resilient and optimistic. This book was based on the author's great-grandmother and is set in the Arizona Territories during the late 1800s. To say that I'm better suited to 21st century Nashville than Tuscon in 1900 is an understatement. But I think I have some things in common with Sarah and I'm certainly thankful that women like her lived in order to make this country what it now is.

Parts of this book reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Time Traveler's Wife. While the setting is completely different, I think both novels show the push/pull of a marriage relationship. Like Henry in The Time Traveler's Wife, Jack in this novel is alternately present and absent from Sarah's life. I'm thankful that my husband's vocational calling doesn't take him physically away from our family for long stretches of time, but this book left me believing that I would rather have a sometimes absent husband who loves me passionately than an always present husband who doesn't really love me....less

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2 comments

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

09/11/08

Read in September, 2008

I loved this book! I'm glad Sally Baird just informed me that there is a sequel.

I was quickly captivated by Sarah's strength of personality. The challenges the Prines endured seemed overwhelming, but not implausible. I admired Sarah's level-headedness & courage. And I just loved her romance with Captain Jack Elliot. I loved the scene, busy with children and cousins and family making lots of noise in a crowded room, when Jack mouths to Sarah "I love you." It felt real. I ...more

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Margaret rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

08/19/08

Read in August, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I try not to be too generous when I give out 5 stars and I try to give them out to only the books that truly deserve them in my opinion. “These is My Words” is a book that I thought deserved 5 stars from the first 50 pages or so. It is a story about Sarah Prine who is sixteen when the story starts out growing up in the 1880’s in the Arizona Territories. It is in a journal format. At first Sarah’s grammar is not so good and it is somewhat difficult to read but as the story progresses ...more

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Angie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

06/09/08

bookshelves: favorites

Read in June, 2008

As the subtitle suggests this is the journal of Sarah Prine and the story of her life in the Arizona Territories in the days of no law, bad men and rampaging Apaches. This was the best book that I have read in a long time. Usually I'm content if a book has a passible plot,but this book took me by surprise. The narrative is so real. Most of the story is fiction but is based on the life of a real pioneer. For instance, one of the amazing things about the story is the history fleshed out by the bo...more

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2 comments

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

11/11/08

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Kelly by: Erin and Lisa
recommends it for: Everyone

This book goes on my top 5 favorite books. Sarah is my hero. This book was so sad about the harsh realities of living in those times in the west. Almost every chapter my heart broke. I loved the romance and practicality of her marriage. She amazed me with her tenacity for life. And how she made the good times help her overcome the hard ones.She was a survival specilist. Her best characteristic I thought was her willingness to do whatever needed to be done. I related to Sarah with her husband Jac...more

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2 comments

Beth rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

02/19/08

Read in March, 2007

This is our latest book club pick — which gave me added incentive to get through the first chapter or so of this book. As you might guess from the grammatically-challenged title, the word choice and sentence structure of the main character, from whose voice the story emerges, doesn’t make for easy reading. It seems like a typical pioneer storyline, anyway — the family uproots the comforts of home in search of adventure elsewhere, leaving the characters trekking across endless days in which...more

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Kris rated it:

05/23/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: everyone

A first person account of a young woman and her family and their experiences in the new west. Set in the mid to late 1800's in Texas and Arizona while the settlers were making their claims in Indian territories. This book is Sarah's diary starting as a young girl through marriage and motherhood. The strength she shows is astounding, and the love story that evolves between her and a most unlikely suitor beats any romance novel. This is pure unadulterated love between a man and woman.
Prepare t...more

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1 comment

Elizabeth rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

07/18/08

bookshelves: favorites

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Elizabeth by: Jen
recommends it for: All Women!

WOW.

This book came on a very special, very highly regarded personal recommendation from Jenny. It sat on my "to read" pile for months. When I finally picked it up, I tore through it in under a week. It had been a while since I had been so engrossed in a book, and I found myself completely unable to put it down.

This story's strength lies not only in its endearing narrator, Sarah Prine, frontierswoman, but also in the author's ability to create a true picture of what life in th...more

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Lia rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

09/23/08

Read in September, 2008

recommended to Lia by: Alicia Thelin
recommends it for: Anyone!

I just finished this book and loved it. Nancy E Turner painted a very vivid picture in my mind that I was able to follow all the way through the book. I could see Sarah grow and change. At times I had to sit back and think "my she's grown" just like I would my own children. The progression seemed so natural to me. I loved Captain Elliot from the moment he smoked his cigar under her wagon. My heart broke at the end. This is coming from someone who's not really a fan of love stori...more

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4 comments

Brynne rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

10/04/08

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Brynne by: Colette

Okay I almost had to stop reading this book a couple of times because of the ugly things, but sometimes ugly things are a real part of history and life, so I kept going. I absolutely LOVE Sarah and Jack. She is so tough and brave and exactly how I would hope to be if I lived in her time. My heart completely broke for her with Jimmy's last words. It made me sad how she didn't realize her own worth and value and strength at that time in her life. It made me extra grateful for all that I have ...more

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Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

06/04/08

bookshelves: book-club-books

Read in June, 2008

I really wanted to shout from the rooftops how I loved this story and this character and her way of looking at things. I was totally intrigued with the diary format and can't wait to get my hands on the next two books. You can tell I loved this book because as an avid speed reader, it is rare for me to go back and reread parts I loved. And the romantic parts are totally my favorite, I am such a sucker for a romance that fits, even though she calls him an "onery man" more often than ...more

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Hannah rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

10/13/07

Read in January, 2006

I really, REALLY love this book. In my top three for sure. Sarah is a favorite heroine, so far I have not come across another that I have enjoyed as much as her. I could relate to her throughout the whole book, was inspired and even envious of the beautiful simplicity of her life. Although hard. Her story was inspiring.

The end about killed me though. This was the first book I read and sobbed at the end and then threw it across the room when I was done. It was so good.

Captain Jack Elliot-...more

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Corinne rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

08/29/08

Read in July, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Marian rated it:

(review of isbn 0060987510)

10/19/08

Read in October, 2008

This book is not what I expected. I don't really know what I expected. The cover lead me to believe the story would be far different than it was. The three stars are for the first two-thirds of the book, which I really enjoyed. The last third was redundant and boring. the main character is a strong frontier woman who endured tragedy after tragedy while beginning her life in the rugged Arizona territory. I just wish the story ended before all that was great about the characters began to fizzle. ...more

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