Everything She Didn't Say

Jane Kirkpatrick

Sep 2018 · Revell

About this ebook

In 1911, Carrie Strahorn wrote a memoir entitled Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage, which shared some of the most exciting events of 25 years of traveling and shaping the American West with her husband, Robert Strahorn, a railroad promoter, investor, and writer. That is all fact. Everything She Didn't Say imagines Carrie nearly ten years later as she decides to write down what was really on her mind during those adventurous nomadic years.

Certain that her husband will not read it, and in fact that it will only be found after her death, Carrie is finally willing to explore the lessons she learned along the way, including the danger a woman faces of losing herself within a relationship with a strong-willed man and the courage it takes to accept her own God-given worth apart from him. Carrie discovers that wealth doesn't insulate a soul from pain and disappointment, family is essential, pioneering is a challenge, and western landscapes are both demanding and nourishing. Most of all, she discovers that home can be found, even in a rootless life.

With a deft hand, New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick draws out the emotions of living--the laughter and pain, the love and loss--to give readers a window not only into the past, but into their own conflicted hearts. Based on a true story.

Ratings and reviews

Everything She Didn't Say By Jane Kirkpatrick Carrie Adell Green married Robert Strahorn in September of 1877 and began the adventure of a lifetime. Following her husband into the wilderness of America's West at her own insistence she became a trailblazer embarking on one adventure after another. Roughing it with the men who were tasked with taming the West. Robert was known for his articles and books about the West. His work was funded by the Union Pacific Railroad - a PR man if you will, tasked with convincing the average citizen to move West and bring civilization with them. Creating a market for what the railroad would be offering transportation of people to the West and goods to the East. Carrie was not about to sit around waiting as Robert explored the West and insisted that he convince the UP officials that her presence would add to the appeal - a lady of family and standing who was able to traverse the unknown regions and dangers of the West, sharing her experiences, offering a woman's perspective. Through her experiences, Carrie has to deal with disappointments - want of a permanent home, children, and a husband who was not quite what she wished. But Carrie persevered handling what came her way each and every time. And she recorded her experiences in a journal which she hoped to one day share with the world in a memoir. Like all of Jane Kirkpatrick's books she once again draws on a person who helped shape our country and our way of thinking. Carrie Strahorn is a person of whom I had not been previously aware of and found her story to be a wonderful glimpse into the past. It is interesting how depending on the state/territory that they were visiting just what rights women had. I also found the attitudes of some of the men interesting when Carrie asserted her opinion and went along on excursions that they deemed too dangerous for a lady. I would highly recommend Everything She Didn't Say for a book club setting (in fact this will be one that I'll be using in my own book club next year). For teens looking for a historical fiction for a book report, this one is worth considering. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectation except that I give my honest opinion.

About the author

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, including All She Left Behind, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, USABestBooks, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award. Jane lives in Central Oregon with her husband, Jerry. Learn more at www.jkbooks.com.