Vision of the Eagle

Vision of the Eagle #1

by Kay L. McDonald

When Abigail left home for love, she left all safety far behind. All she had to still her fears of the unknown were love, and trust in Ross Galligher, the handsome, reckless Irishman who had snatched her from her New England family to make her his wife. But Abigail was soon to learn how frail even this mans strength and spirit were in the face of dangers of a west where white settlers were little more than barbarians and where savage Indians ruled a vast land of virgin plains and unmapped mountains.

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Kay L. McDonald was born and raised in Salem, Oregon. She graduated from North Salem High School and Famous Writers School. She worked for Pacific NW Bell and Paradise Island Mobile Home Park. She married husband Norman L. McDonald in 1955 and has two children. She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing The West and Authors Guild.

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daughter of a well-to-do banker, Abigail Whitteker's life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Irishman Ross Galligher, deemed by her parents as a most undesirable suitor. The pair eventually elope and finally settle further west in hopes of avoiding her father's efforts to bring her home, but that wild frontier has plenty of hidden dangers and Abigail finds herself kidnapped by a Sioux warrior. Carrying her husband's child, Abigail is determined to survive at all costs to keep him alive. The latter part of the book covers Abigail's son, White Eagle (named Ross by Abigail), who is believed to be the first-born son of the tribe's chief and Abigail's captor. Let's just say White Eagle has a whooooooooooooole lot of growing up and maturing to do, and when he finally does so, will he find love and happiness with the tribe or will he choose to leave his home and the only life he's known to venture into the white man's world?

Well, since this is a series of four books you're probably going to figure out some of those answers from the jackets. This book has a lot of story elements that really intrigued me, but not quite enough for an entire book. From looking at the description of book two, much of what happened in the last half set the stage for Ross's mindset in the following books, but I think the two might have done better as one larger book, with a lot of what's in this book edited out - Ross and Abigail on the run went on waaaaaaaaaaay too long, as did the events leading up to her son's maturation. This is a good book, not just a great one and I would recommend it for those with a strong interest in this period.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as the first book in this series. It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a historical fiction such as this. The details of the story are interesting and believable. I was sad when I finished the book. Lucky for me there is one more book in the series.