A Profitable Wife

by Kat Christensen

Embark on a captivating journey with Kat Christensen’s novel—a narrative that breathes life into the pages of American history.
Set against the expansion of a nation, from the aftermath of the War of 1812 to the era preceding the Civil War, this story ushers you into a world teeming with romance, jealousy, murder, and the unyielding spirit of survival.
Meet Easter, a formidable young woman who carves her homestead from the 1830s American Northwest frontier. With the fires of Manifest Destiny as a backdrop, Easter’s tenacity and resilience are tested amidst a young nation’s political turmoil and societal upheavals.
This vivid tale transports you back to a time where the foundation stones of the modern United States were laid. Witness iconic historical figures such as Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Blackhawk, and many more, through Easter’s eyes—a testament to an era where politics, much like today, were intense and vehement.
As Easter navigates through the unrelenting trials of pioneer life, readers are pulled into a world of passion and peril. Easter’s journey from the Mohawk Valley to the American Northwest is one marked by love, betrayal, and the haunting echo of murder.

Reviewers are

"Historical fiction gold... Highly recommend!"
"A stunning story of a tougher than nails woman..."
"... full of joy, triumph, perseverance and tragedy... A great read!"
"A unique voice in historical fiction..."
"A captivating story that seamlessly blends fiction with historical events, taking the reader on a fascinating journey..."

Genres: Historical Fiction

292 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2024

Reviews

[Heather Miller]

Christensen’s novel is a cyclorama of the 19th century frontier with a panoramic perspective of “manifest destiny.” The story’s third person omniscient point of view travels from the policy makers, Jefferson to Jackson to Polk, trickling down to the people those policies affected, the Conklins, the Walaces, and Sades. Native Americans, sons of colonists, Irish immigrants farmed land they could afford, and as in all good stories, not all harvests are plentiful.
The narrative camera in the story is active, told in third person omniscient point of view, zooming out from Washington inward towards the focal family, allowing readers to see how the political landscape interacted with that of those braving the frontier in New York, Ohio, and Iowa.
“Nodding faces in the crowd wholeheartedly agreed with the narrative Van Buren painted: the struggle between the few and the many. A greedy minority of wealth and privilege sought to exploit the common man relentlessly. This struggle lay behind the major problems of the day and was supported by the opposition and current president, John Quincy Adams. General Jackson, on the other hand, had proven himself among the common man by fighting alongside them as brothers against both the Natives and the British. Now that foreign threats no longer loomed, economic barriers and the wealthy became the enemy” (Christensen 56).
The enemy was not only the wealthy, but the land itself, and the people it sustained. The story begins with a death and a new life. Easter, half Native, is raised by her deceased father’s family as one of their own. At the youthful age of sixteen, this attractive and resourceful young woman marries Will Conklin, a young white man, four years her senior. Will loved Easter, and she returned his affection; however, during this period in American history, I wondered whether Will knew of Easter’s native heritage, wondered whether that would have mattered to him. It was not a question raised by the heroine until much later in the novel.
The young couple, already expecting their first child, set out first on a longboat and then rode west on the symbol of the American frontier, the covered wagon, toward barren Ohio. Christensen’s research teaches her readers as well as entertains:
“It was fascinating to witness the first set of tiered locks that enabled the flatboat to traverse hills. They began with entering the lock level with the can, with the lock being closed behind them. Then, someone would open the water fall that filled their lock, floating them higher until the water level reached the next tier” (Christensen 71).
These moments of history, recanted through the eyes of Easter and Will, I found particularly engaging, the stories of how people lived and traveled across the dangerous and unpredictable American west. The days and days it took to go from state to territory, surmount rivers and mountains, hoping against the unpredictably of arriving at their destination.
Will and his hired man, Irishman, Thomas Wallace, spend long days in the fields, returning home each evening, looking forward to Easter’s meal, prepared and steaming on the table.
“Easter expertly arranged her hearth, stacking two Dutch ovens for dinner with little Phoebe Ann secured to her back. She stepped outside the one-room cabin to gauge the time left before sundown. Just as she had learned when she was young, she placed both hands on top of each other and then again on top of the horizon, taking away fingers until the sun rested at the top of one. Each finger was about fifteen minutes until sundown. Six fingers remained—roughly an hour and a half” (Christensen 89).
The cabin becomes smaller as the family increases with daughters born first, followed by strapping sons, growing up to be future farmers and frontiersmen themselves. Despite the American work ethic of the “men folk,” it is Easter’s resourcefulness and planning, and her ability to coexist with native tribes that enables the prosperity of their farm and the safety of their family. In one endearing example, Easter’s crossed heritage and her savvy mind for saving, foraging, and tracking save her son Elijah’s life after he runs away from home to follow a Native friend. Soldiers round up Elijah with his friend’s family and nearly sent to the reservation, or worse, killed by the soldiers. Easter and her daughter’s tracking skills find the band, and appearing white enough, negotiated Elijah’s release.
Fate brings the family a new farm in Iowa, despite narrowly escaping the dangers of the journey from banditti. Once reunited, the family prospers for a time on the strong backs of Will Conklin and his sons. Easter and Will’s daughters become wives and mothers. Some are independent like their mother and lead successful frontier families; some meet tragedy. The author does not touch on sickness or the sparce years too heavily, but instead centers the narrative on foundational love between Will and Easter, their thirteen children, and those children’s children, marking the family’s most wealthy asset. But, with age and situation, the burdens of frontier life become a weight too heavy to tote. Secrets steal the supports, cracking that foundation. Easter, in an instant, must choose.
“With time, many frontier women became permanently bent over as if carrying some invisible burden on their shoulders…” (Christensen 259). The novel’s beginnings foreshadow its end, with generational curses and blessings laid on the backs of strong women and their frontier husbands, pursuant of the illusive American dream, carrying their crying children, our descendants, strapped to their backs.

[Pam Watmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a pioneering family who travelled from Mohawk Valley in New York to Monroe Country in Ohio and how they fared when they were settled. Easter Conklin and her husband William had 14 children. the book talks about the resourcefulness of the people and the history of the time. I would have liked to read more about how Easter made the linen from flax and how they made their clothes from the hides. I felt it highlighted the hardships the settlers endured and the friendships and how the communities supported each other but it also showed that some people turned to the drink under the hardships and the effect it had on their families. Easter was made out to be superwoman but the other settlers would have had an extremely hard time if they lost their husbands.

I found this book both interesting and unbelievable at the same time and sad at the ending.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Melissa Hernandez-Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I thought the story was a good one. The history chapters were a bit exhausting at times. Just a bit. It didn't feel like the turtle chapters from Grapes of Wrath, but it was slightly getting close it. I thought the story flowed amazingly. I am a bit bummed by the way things ended, but I know that's how times were. I would read another story from this author, and I will keep an eye on her work for the future!

[Kymm · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Profitable Wife" by Kat Christensen was a very pleasant surprise for me! I loved this book because it not only had a great story of one of the toughest women I've read about, but the research that had to have gone into writing such a harrowing tale of the American Frontier from one woman's perspective was impressive. I couldn't put it down but didn't dare read to fast for fear of missing something important.

The years between the War of 1812 and the Civil War were all about the opening up of the Wild West. The west opened up huge opportunities for those willing to work hard under sometimes dangerous and dire circumstances. With the promise of prosperity Easter and her husband leave the comforts of their home to head out West to settle their own homestead. Land is plentiful and the Indians are being controlled, somewhat, but the challenges they encounter are sometimes horrendous and always scary. Easter though is one tough lady and takes her role as a pioneer woman seriously. She hunts, forages, cooks and keeps the farm running as her husband works the fields. While she was busy on the farm with morning to night chores she birthed 14 children, 13 of them living to adulthood. That alone is amazing, but to do so in the wilds of America was a feat to be honored. Easter was one of the hardest working, toughest ladies I've ever read about. I can't even imagine having the guts and will to head out to an undeveloped territory and set up a home. Women today would never have made it.

One of the best parts to me was how the author weaved Easter's story around what President and administration was in office at the time. Since the settlement of the West was determined by what actions the President took, with Andrew Jackson being the driving force behind the removal and relocation of the Indians he played a huge role in western expansion. But he was not the only early president who was instrumental in America's expansion west. I'm a huge fan of history and this book was an incredible recap of early America. Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, two American heroes make appearances in these pages but there's so much more. Love, jealousy, family and friendship and yes, even murder will rock this family in ways I could never dream of. It's a stunning story of a tougher than nails woman and her family with the added bonus of a recap of America's history of the pioneer, with an emphasis on the women of the frontier. It's historical fiction gold and I highly recommend this book! Happy Reading!

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters about the Conklin family and their travels as pioneers are fascinating and help to move the story along. Sometimes the chapters regarding what was going on historically at the time were a bit too lengthy and curtailed the enjoyment of the novel as a whole.

Things turn a bit dark toward the end of the novel when changes occur for the main characters. I don't want to spoil it for anyone planning on reading the novel so I won't say what happens. It definitely changed things and didn't end quite like I had imagined it would but it didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the novel any. I would read another by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lindsay Funderburk · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. It was a rough start to this book. I couldn’t get into the plot quick enough and there were so many history details that didn’t interest me (at first!). But once I got to about 40-50%, I FELL IN LOVE. I couldn’t put it down. The writing is beautiful, and all the scenes were described so well. I felt like I was there when I was reading about a certain environment. I loved how each chapter started with the ages and members of the main family. I loved learning about the main family. There were so many important points of view (but I must admit, I couldn’t wait until I got back to the main family POV). Overall, this book was written VERY well, and I learned SO MUCH. The plot got so interesting at the end and I had to finish it even though it was way past my bedtime:

[Debbie Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the entertaining and engaging story. Easter, a pioneer woman, gets married, and has over a dozen children while trying to make their farm a success. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story.

[Caroline Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story of a young woman, half European, half Native American in a changing America, and her family and loves.

[Carol Stefanik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written story with a strong female lead. The dialog carries just enough colloquialism to make you feel like you are standing there listening to them talk. There is a good deal of information prior to the story that makes this an even more interesting read. I wonder how many more of us have such great stories in our ancestor's history.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a surprise this book was! It follows the story of Easter, a woman who is much of an enigma herself as the newly forming American West. Married and a mother before she turned 20, Easter left her comfortable home in New York for life as a frontier wife in the Ohio country. I was particularly intrigued by this book because of this, I am always complaining that there is not enough literature based in the frontier years of Ohio! And knowing this story was based on family lore was even more thrilling for me.

However, the intermittent chapters chronicling the advancement of westward expansion and politics were quite tiresome. They provided great context in the sense that you completely understood the way men would think about homesteading and frontier life and the decisions they would make and the prejudices they hold. But during these chapters I found myself yearning to know more about Easter and her way of life. Despite this, everyone should read this book, especially if you feel like this is out of your comfort zone. Its a complete hidden gem.

[Ethel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent novel, HF filled with not just a story, but filled with the years between the War of 1812 and the Civil War and the expansion of America to the west. The story is woven around the Conklin family and their journeys as pioneers to territories that are now Ohio, Illinois, Iowa. The focus is on a pioneer woman who becomes a frontier wife and her family; a woman who is tough as nails yet someone who helped shape these United States. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story starts after the War of 1812. We meet a woman named Easter. We read about her life on the Northwest frontier. She makes it through life with determination in a time when America was new. I found ir to be a fascinating story.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All was quiet. It was likely the last time anyone there would see this place, at least for a very long time. The night before, as the moon rose above them, Elijah had danced alongside his new blood-brothers around a blazing bonfire. When everyone had exhausted their dancing, the Elders told ancient stories about how the world was formed and how the people came into being...”

A Profitable Wife is a fascinating, at times hard-hitting tale of early 19th-century pioneers who explored the west – leading a life of hard work, in often hostile territory, and experiencing unexpected events, both man-made and natural. These early settlers – men and women – had to be tough, used to tiring physical labour, and possess knowledge of how to defend themselves.

This novel follows the trails of several settlers who made their way west for a new life. The plot is fictional, but based on a real ancestor of the author.

It also follows the political situation of the times, with powerful men of various backgrounds – army, exploration, investment – seeking the highest post in the land: the presidency. All the while, ordinary people were encouraged to follow the Manifest Destiny of the new United States, heading westward into unknown territory, to escape the depression and over-population of the eastern cities.

Esther 'Easter' Hackley was a young girl, when she began to stay with her Native mother at her uncle's house in the Mohawk Valley, New York. Philo Hackley had taken mother and child in after his brother's injuries had cost him his life. Easter grew up as part of a white Christian family, but she never forgot her native tongue her mother had secretly taught her.

As she grew into her teenage years, her sturdy frame and dark eyes hinted at her heritage, but her family was well respected. With a deep knowledge of maths and finance, she managed her uncle's store. Until Will Conklin, one of two brothers vying for her attention, asked her to marry him, and head west to found a homestead in Ohio with him.

Flattered, and in love, sixteen-year-old Easter sets out on the great adventure with her new husband. But not all is without challenge, and as their family grows steadily, they eventually relocate to Iowa, where they run a farm. Used to hard work, and highly intelligent, Easter runs the homestead with great efficiency, whilst Will and later their sons work the fields. She grows into a formidable farmer's wife, clever, reliable, and opinionated.

Over the decades, Easter gives birth to fourteen children, losing only one girl as an infant. All other children grow into adulthood – and several end up living to a great age.

Years after their arrival in Otter Creek, Will becomes disillusioned with their growing brood, the monotonous but precarious life, and his bossy wife. Racked by insecurities and growing anger at Easter, their love turns sour. One day, things come to a head, and someone is killed.

What happened? Read the book!

~~~

A Profitable Wife is a riveting tale of the westward expansion during the 19th century, of personal happiness and tragedies, and of political upheaval. The author's personal family connection adds a highly personal touch.

Still a young nation, the political turbulences of the new United States are well portrayed by Ms Christensen. Her research into the different political movements, their main characters, their plans and their disagreements in particular, is impeccable. We read about Andrew Jackson, David Crockett, Henry Clay, John Tyler, and others, including on a more local level, and their personal ambitions, and those for their country, make for engrossing reading.

When Easter and Will travelled west first, they encountered a young Irishman, Thomas Wallace, who follows them on their trail. Thomas had fled Ireland following a run-in with the Peelers, and was forced to seek refuge in the new world. He becomes a good friend of the family, and later a husband to their daughter, Elizabeth Anna. His fate hints at the plight of many Irish (and Scottish) migrants of the time.

Easter's children are a respectful bunch, learning early on to obey their parents – and her in particular. They also have to work hard.

I liked Mahala best. Caring, yet determined, we see her seek clever revenge when her brother Billy upsets her. Young Elijah is a sensitive boy, good friends with Natives, until they are rounded up and sent away to a distant reservation. He defies his father on a number of occasions, and his silent bravery is upsetting, but completely realistic.

Billy comes across as a bully. Basking in his father's approval, he learns to seek his own advantage early, and often makes decisions against his siblings, even in adulthood. His actions do not endear him to readers.

There is a plethora of major and minor characters in A Profitable Wife, many of whom we barely meet, but it's probably as well, as I had to look up some of them in the list of characters the author provided. This is useful as a reminder of this growing, entangled family and their connections.

However, this large group of characters makes a close narrative in parts of this novel difficult. Events are relayed, often without much of a hint of a character's emotion, which makes for somewhat detached reading. This writing style suits the portrayal of the political protagonists very well, as it fits with their views and actions. We rarely see a glimpse of conscience. This is in stark contrast to the closer, more intimate narrative surrounding Easter, and her children, in particular. And it is they whose emotions matter to us.

Ms Christensen has written a remarkable tale of personal bravery, hardship, happiness, adventure, and loss. She describes the harsh realities of the times, which gives us modern readers a deep glimpse at what really happened, and how events shaped those men and women who headed west to an unknown future. She also shows the dangers one encountered on the route to your new home, either by flatboat or across hostile land, with bandits eyeing up potential victims.

The author does also not shy away from mentioning the plight of the Natives, particularly in showing us part of Elijah's boyhood friendship with young Mingan Gray Wolf, which I found incredibly moving. On the other side, Ms Christensen shows the arrogant views of senior Iowa representatives of the new encampment for the Natives. The Manifest Destiny gave settlers the right to found new places out west, and the previous occupants of those vast territories were merely collateral damage. A humbling reminder of the dark side of the aggressive expansion.

The plot about a family setting up a homestead could have been dull and long-winded, but as the story straddles several decades, and includes different characters and their views, we witness the reality of life in the new territories. And Ms Christensen shows us in great, intimate detail how that reality could change people over time. Not always for the better...

Family is the overarching theme of this novel, and we experience all the various emotions that run through families – all-encompassing love, obedience, faith, devotion to each other and to their own duties, but also petty jealousy and outright vindictiveness. We experience it all with the Conklins.

A Profitable Wife is expertly researched (with Notes at the back of the novel citing the author's sources) and masterfully narrated. Easter, Thomas, and several of the children are such memorable characters, who have been brought vividly to life – and deservedly so – by Ms Christensen. I think Easter would be incredibly proud of her descendant.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Cathie Dunn
The Coffee Pot Book Club

[Catherine Meyrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Profitable Wife follows the life of Easter Hackley from 1812, the year of her birth, to 1857. Her father Robert, who had been fighting for the United States in the War of 1812, died of wounds when she was less than a month old. Although her mother Sooleawa, who had Algonquin ancestry, died when Easter was seven, it was time enough for her to teach Easter the Algonquin language and their ways of hunting and foraging. Easter was raised as a daughter by her paternal uncle and his wife; her uncle was a farmer and ran a mercantile store in Herkimer, in New York’s Mohawk Valley. At sixteen Easter married Will Conklin, a young man with plans to establish a farm in the lands to the west that were opening up to settlers. Not long after their wedding they set out for Ohio.

The novel shows their life over the next twenty-eight years: the discomforts, difficulties and hopefulness of their journey to Ohio by longboat and later by covered wagon, a journey where Easter gave birth to their first child. The hard work and struggles of farming, and Easter’s essential role in ensuring it was a success. In 1848, Easter and their ten children, aged from seventeen to one year old, followed Will to Iowa to more fertile land. The journey was more fraught with danger than their original journey to Ohio.

Christensen shows in detail the struggles and hardships these pioneers faced, the way they built communities and friendships, the critical importance of women’s skills in making a success of their endeavours. The novel is underpinned by detailed research into the period and brings the past to life. There is a broad cast of characters from Easter and her children, who we follow from birth to adulthood and marriage, to other settlers including newly arrived immigrants, to Native Americans who are displaced as the settlers move westward, to the politicians who made decisions that affected all their lives. All the characters are distinct and well-drawn, even those who simply pass through the story. Woven through the novel are chapters and scenes involving the politicians and those with influence which allow readers, especially those without a strong grasp of this period of American history, to understand the political decisions and attitudes which influenced the way the United States developed at this time.

A Profitable Wife is realistically told – the characters and relationships, especially of Easter and Will, are believable and develop naturally. Just as in life, small character flaws that niggle at the beginning, with time and age, develop into fissures that can tear people apart. There are the joys and absolute heartbreak that pioneer women experienced. The writing is engaging and the language the characters speak in keeping with the period, without anachronism. There are tense and gripping passages filled with genuine tension as they confront the dangers and difficulties of their lives. It is a narrative the reader can submerge herself in.

The novel is based on stories Kat Christensen was told, in whispers, by her grandmother of her own great-grandmother, Easter Hackley, ‘a scrappy pioneer, a survivor, and a successful human being’ who raised thirteen of her fourteen children to adulthood. Naturally, with a life at such a distance in time, not everything is known, but Christensen has filled in the gaps with plausible conjecture based on serious research of the period and the locations where Easter lived.

A Profitable Wife is a tribute to the strength and character of not just Easter but all those women who left behind their family, friends and familiar lives to settle in unknown and challenging territories and establish families that now count in their thousands. It is an engrossing story of love and joy, sorrow and endurance. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in the reality of those women of the past who played a part in making our modern more comfortable lives possible.

[Ashley Swink · Rating 4 out of 5]

A PROFITABLE WIFE review

Kat Christensen brings the story of Easter Conklin to life in “A Profitable Wife,” tracing the life of a strong pioneer woman who bore witness to decades of early American history.

There are moments within the narrative that pause to take in that history, shifting perspective to the many statesmen and women who shaped the history of the United States. The story is meticulously well-researched and provides the reader a window into the many changes the country was undergoing during her characters’ lives.

But the far more compelling narrative is Easter’s: from her childhood in New York to homesteading in Ohio to establishing a farm in Iowa, the reader tracks Easter’s growing family and the trials of living on the frontier. Life is rendered fully, allowing the reader a real glimpse into the lives of early Americans. The drama escalates to a gripping climax that kept me gripped right to the end.

A masterful blending of fact and fiction, “A Profitable Wife” is a must-read for lovers of frontier narratives, early American historical fiction, and strong female protagonists!

[Ashley Parkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is an amazing tale of one of the strongest female characters I have ever read about. Easter not only manages to birth 14 children, but also runs so much of her homestead and endures so much with grace and sheer determination. This novel has amazing historical details of the War of 1812 and the Civil War, amongst others. This novel is truly amazing, and I can't believe how attentive the details are to the era it is written about. I highly recommend this novel to any history fan who is looking for a good read.

[jessica fannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. A unique voice in historical fiction. Christensen tells the story of her own ancestor based on family lore passed down through generations, while weaving it together with the political history of the times. This really gives perspective on how the decisions of those far away elites still have impact on the day to day life of ordinary people. The story of Easter's life is fascinating; full of joy, triumph, perseverance, and tragedy. All in all, a great read. Highly recommended!

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genealogy company have been pushing adding history to the story of our family. This book is example of that. The book is heavily the political history of the time. The story of the family is interesting but what happens after the first husband died. The book seems to stop short of the full story.. I was a bit disappointed.