Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go

Naomi Dathan

Apr 2016 · Kirkdale Press

About this ebook

Jem Perkins is used to her comfortable city life--she has a fine house, a handsome husband, and a new baby boy. But when her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worst, she must learn to adapt to her new life--in a sod house on a Nebraska homestead.

Jem reluctantly adapts to the harsh realities of prairie life: churning butter, fighting illness, enduring loneliness. In Jem's desperate prayers for deliverance, she eventually encounters the God she's always thought she'd known and finds strength she didn't know she had.

But when the history-making Children's Blizzard of 1888 sweeps across the land, ushering in a new season of hardship so harsh no one could have imagined, Jem will have to endure more than she ever has before. Can Jem's confidence, marriage, and new-found faith weather the storm?

Ratings and reviews

I just finished reading, “Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go” by Naomi Dathan, literally in one sitting. I could not put the story down. I have to confess that I have read a lot of Christian novels in which the characters were wooden, their lives just so much unbelievablefroth, but this book is nothing like those. The author did her homework on the Blizzard of 1888 in the Midwest and, even though these are Christians who are going through this disaster, they are not totally spared for the sake of a comfortable story. I cannot give the ending away, but it is realistic and beautiful at the same time, a real true-to-life ending for a real Christian family. Of course, I don’t know if the author actually based the story on real people or her own ancestors, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. The characters have depth and complexity and the well known story of pioneer life on the Great Plains in the late 1800’s is fascinating no matter how many times I’ve read about it. The story’s main plot line is the killer Blizzard 1888, but after the first chapter opens on the midst of the Blizzard, Ms. Dathan takes you back in time to the beginning of the marriage of our heroine and her husband. She tells you about our heroine’s life before moving to the Great Plains, the vastly different society she was born into and her expectations of what her future holds for her with her new husband. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history. The Christian theme is not forced or phony and by recommending this story to anyone, I mean whether Christian or non Christian. The majority of the people that lived on the Plains at that time were devout believers, no matter their denomination, and a story without that aspect would be false. I very much enjoyed (and was on the edge of my seat) Ms. Dathan’s book and will be looking up more titles by her.

This was my first time ever reading an e-book. (I usually read regular books.) I did not mind the format on the computer or downloading the software.. I plan on using the bibla software again for my bible study. This book was very enjoyable. I read this book in a day and a half. The characters were believable and interesting. Particularly the Perkins family, (Jem, Seth and Charley) This book is about the struggle of the Perkins family when, because of bad circumstances,they move to the Nebraska frontier to start a new life. At first the wife, Jem, is extremely upset to have to move and start a now life. Growing up she was very spoiled by her father. Eventually she learns how to be a "frontier wife." Not without some struggle. At first Seth has to force and fight with Jem to take over household duties. The description of Jem and Seth's marriage and the trials they have in their relationship was very realistic. It showed how a young married couple needed to learn to bond with each other, and their child, in order to face the obstacles of living on the frontier. The book has religion and bible verses, but it does no shove the Christian faith down your throat. The book does not paint a rosy picture of life that if you believe in God you will always have a happy life. The characters in this book has their share of hardships, but they use their faith to get through them and survive.

The author pulled me into this story with the first few pages of the book. She started the book out in Jan 1888 giving us a glimpse of something that happened, something that propelled me to read the book as quickly as I could to figure out the why and how of what she described in the opening pages. Once she gives us a glimpse of Jan 1888 then she takes us back seventeen months to allow us to see how a family goes from living the life of luxury to becoming homesteaders living in a Soddy. Jem Perkins was used to living a life of ease. She had always had someone to take care of her every need. When she married her husband Seth her father even provided a nice house for them.Seth who was in the Army learns something about Jem's father, something that might land him in jail, and costs Seth his position in the army. Seth knows that Jem's father will have to sell everything to make amends for what he has done which means Jem and Seth will no longer have a place to live, so Seth takes their savings and decides they will become homesteaders out west. Jem, who had never cooked or kept house now has to become a pioneer lady and learn to do all these things. Can Jem every manage? I really loved this story. I loved seeing Jem grow and change. She was such a remarkable person, and withstood many trials. Her faith became a real part of her life. I liked Seth's character as well, but often felt like he was a bit hard on Jem. The author left a few loose ends with this story, which really has me hoping for a sequel. Fans of historical fiction are going to devour this story. Amazing characters, and a fast moving plot filled with the ups and downs of homesteading life was very touching and emotionally moving. Add to this an inspirational message of perseverance and it makes for a story that I just couldn't stop reading. I will certainly be watching for more from this author!

About the author

Naomi Dathan lives with her family and two cats in Northeast Ohio, where she spends her time developing databases, writing, and painting. Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go is her third novel.