Wow - I am so honored by this review!

[Fred]

"What a taunt, that hell should be so beautiful. "

And so begins one of the best historical fiction novels of 2020.

The year is 1845: a wagon train filled with emigrants begins a five month, two thousand mile journey westward to California-- the land of milk and honey, dreams, and new beginnings. A new beginning for Hannah Blanc Spencer, a physician denied a medical career for simply being a woman; who after the suicide of her beloved husband, found herself forced into a marriage of necessity to a viscous, abusive man by the name of Ed Spencer. And for Nimrod Lee, a mountain man turned trail guide; looking for redemption, riddled with guilt after the brutal murder of his Crow wife. Her murderer still roamed free, somewhere along the trail.

As they make their way over treacherous terrain, unseen killers plague the horse drawn village; Cholera and Diphtheria run unfettered, while mosquitoes armed with the malaria, or ague parasite, drive them to near madness. As Hannah and Nimrod battle disease, diarrhea, miscarriages, and births, they find themselves struggling against another unseen assailant, love. Not the pristine, rhinestone studded love we see in modern westerns these days or read about in pioneer romance novels. But one forged from pain and hardship, loss and grief. A love that does not ebb and flow like the ocean, but one that trickles slowly, winding its way through grit and dust, evolving from the mutual respect they find in the strength they see in each other.

But Days of Hope, Miles of Misery is not just about Hannah and Nimrod. Dickey fills the pages with memorable secondary characters such as Shadrach Penny, who served and fought under General George Washington; Chief Truckee, medicine chief of the Northern Paiute who in the summer of 1805 intercepted the Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery and led them to the Columbia River; John Sutter, a Swiss-American pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the state's capitol; and other names readers will be familiar with like Kit Carson, Jim Beckwourth, and Lansford Hastings.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, as I am, then you will find yourself obnubilated in this meticulously researched novel. I felt as if I were there in the 1800's, sharing joy, when the first child was born, and driving the wagon whose wheel tracks were used to conceal the first grave. But you don't have to be a fan of historical novels to love this book. Dickey's dust and grit covered gem of a book appeals to all readers. Fans of Garibaldi romances or Kelton and Grey westerns will find themselves lost in Days of Hope. Those of you who enjoy rough and rugged pioneer novels from Andrews or Butler will be hard pressed to put down Dickey's book and those of you who just love a superbly written novel will be far from disappointed. No matter what your book preference "Days of Hope, Miles of Misery: Love and Loss on the Oregon Trail" is a book you will never forget.

Fred Dickey
www.freddickey.net