The Diary of Elisabeth Koren: 1853-1855

by David T. Nelson

SCUFFING AT EDGE OF COVERS AND SPINE. ALSO CREASING AT TOP OF FRONT COVER AND ALSO CURLING AT OUTER EDGES OF FRONT COVER. CLEAN PAGES WITH NO MARKING OR WRITING FOUND WITHIN BOOK.

381 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Meagan]

When you think of immigrant settlers in America, you think of the struggle, the wilderness, the bravery it took. But you don't often think of the loneliness or the homesickness that they endured. This Diary painted such a vivid picture of the early days of settlers in America. It also brought me to tears at some points with the illustrations of missing home and your family. The juxtaposition of what they had left (formal towns with beautiful buildings, churches, shops) to what they came for (wilderness, houses that rain fell into, prairie fires) is astounding. It does make you wonder how anyone decided to do it at all.

[Brit]

I am not sure if it is even right to rate a diary. It was written for herself and her husband. But it gives good insight into pioneer life for a young Norwegian upper middle class woman/bride in the Midwest. She had a lot of adjustments to make, her husband was frequently off preaching with her left behind at home. While it was tough at times and lonely, she made the best of it and had no regrets in being in this new country.

[Laura]

This was such an interesting insight into the life of Elisabeth Koren. It follows her journey from Norway to a parsonage in Iowa. It was very interesting to read about her struggles as a new bride, far from her homeland, whose husband was essentially a circuit rider. I enjoyed getting to know Elisabeth a bit as she describes her life.

[Natalie Lynner]

Thank goodness I didn’t have to live in this time period. Women’s lives were so small. I wished Elisabeth gave us more introspection instead of just details of cleaning, cooking, walking, and missing her husband.