About the Book
Book: Laura’s Shadow
Author: Allison Pittman
Genre: Christian/Historical/Romance
Release date: August 1, 2022
Family Secrets Spill One Conversation at a Time
Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.
De Smet, South Dakota—1890
Young women growing up in DeSmet live by two rules: don’t go out in a
snowstorm and don’t give your heart to Cap Garland. Young Mariah
Patterson only managed to obey one. Orphaned and having devoted her
youth to scrapping out a life with her brother Charles, Mariah finds
herself with no interesting suitors or means of support. Throwing
caution to the wind, she seizes an opportunity to lay her feelings at
Cap’s feet, even though she knows Cap sees the world through the torch
he carries for Laura Ingalls. Mariah is certain her love for Cap will be
strong enough to break both bonds, and she’s willing to risk everything
to prove it.
De Smet, South Dakota—1974
Trixie Gowan is the fourth generation of living Gowan women residing in
the sprawling farmhouse on the outskirts of De Smet. Well, former
resident. She’s recently moved to Minneapolis, where she writes ads for a
neighborhood paper edited by Ron Tumble. She might live and work in the
city, but her co-workers still call her Prairie Girl. Thus the
inspiration for her comic strip—“Lost Laura”—in which a bespectacled
girl in a calico dress tries to make her way in the city. The name is a
quiet rebellion having grown up in a household where she’d been
forbidden to mention the name, Laura Ingalls. But when her
great-grandmother Mariah’s declining health brings Trixie home for a
visit, two things might just keep her there: the bedside manner of Dr.
Campbell Carter and the family secret that seems to be spilling from
GG’s lips one conversation at a time.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Allison Pittman
is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed novels and a
four-time Christy finalist—twice for her Sister Wife series, once for
All for a Story from her take on the Roaring Twenties and most recently
for the critically acclaimed The Seamstress which takes a cameo
character from the Dickens’ classic A Tale of Two Cities and flourishes
her to life amidst the French Revolution. She lives in San Antonio,
Texas, blissfully sharing an empty nest with her husband, Mike. Connect
with her on Facebook (Allison Pittman Author), Twitter
(@allisonkpittman) or her website, allisonkpittman.com.
More from Allison
I can credit Laura Ingalls Wilder for just about every aspect of my
identity. I’m a reader because I read her books over and over and over
again, checking them out from my little elementary school library. I can
still see them—last bookcase, bottom shelf. During the summer, I
checked them out from the Bookmobile, and one magical Christmas, I
received my own set. The well-worn, yellow paperbacks have a place of
honor in my office: top shelf, center stage. It was amazing to my
eight-year-old self that I could pick up Little House in the Big Woods, skip the dull parts, and jump straight to These Happy Golden Years in a single afternoon.
Looking at Laura’s writing now (as I often do), I realize I spent my
childhood absorbing the art of telling a story. Her books masterfully
string meaningful vignettes within an over-arching conflict. She creates
stories-within-a-story-within-a-story whenever Pa launches into a tall
tale, and minor characters come to life no matter how brief their
appearance. (Aunt Docia, anyone?)
When I first came up with the concept of writing a story set in the
world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I knew I couldn’t bring Laura herself in
as a character. There’s a sacredness to her story, and I wouldn’t dream
of inserting myself into the cannon of her pages. But—I thought—surely
she had peers who grew up alongside her, classmates who also hated Miss
Wilder, young men who might have set their own cap for her, townsfolk
who remembered the vibrant young woman with the button-brown eyes and
dark curls. And then I pondered further: maybe there was another
side to Laura—a side that she kept from the romanticized ideal skipping
through the pages of her books. My first thought was to create a
fictional De Smet town girl, but then…
In researching and reading Pioneer Girl, The Annotated Autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I came across a bit of information that brought the story to life for me. In These Happy Golden Years,
Laura teaches her first class: five students, two families. And while
the “Brewster” children are documented in other sources, the Harrison
children are not. There are no census records, land deeds, or any
official documents to support the identity of Charles and Martha as they
are depicted in the novel. And so, it clicked. If Laura could
fictionalize these people, well, then, so could I. Thus Martha Harrison
was lifted from those pages, renamed Mariah, and given a new life and a
new story in mine.
Writing Laura’s Shadow allowed me to indulge in a few
favorite directions. First, I’m fascinated with the idea of extreme
longevity (showcased in my novel All for a Song), and creating a
character whose lifespan stretches from homesteading to disco was
delightful. My Mariah chafes at the romanticized depiction of pioneer
life, telling us in her old age that it was really more of a daily
struggle for survival. I also enjoyed exploring the family dynamic of
four generations of women and how each generation faced the same
battles and fought them so, so differently. Finally—and this is what
truly speaks to my fourth-grade self…
You know that Elton John song, “Your Song” with the lyrics, “I hope
you don’t mind that I put down in words…” Well, I got to put down in
words my lifelong crush on Cap Garland. Sure, Almonzo is great and
everything, but I always thought Cap was more exciting. More fun. More…more. Bringing
him to life in this book set my old heart racing. My research for this
novel took me to De Smet, and to his gravesite, where I spoke this story
to his stone. I like to think he’d approve, and I hope all of the Laura
fans will join me in this tale and let their imaginations run wild.
Blog Stops
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 30
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 30
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions , August 31
Texas Book-aholic, August 31
Genesis 5020, September 1
Inklings and notions, September 1
The Avid Reader, September 2
For Him and My Family, September 2
deb’s Book Review, September 3
Simple Harvest Reads, September 3 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 4
Blogging With Carol, September 4
Betti Mace, September 5
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, September 5
Blossoms and Blessings, September 6
Jeanette’s Thoughts, September 6
lakesidelivingsite, September 7
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, September 7
Connie’s History Classroom, September 8
Mary Hake, September 8
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 9
Through the Fire Blogs, September 9
Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 10
Bigreadersite, September 11
Pause for Tales, September 11
For the Love of Literature, September 12
Labor Not in Vain, September 12
Remembrancy, September 13
To Everything There Is A Season, September 13
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Allison is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon E-gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
GIVEAWAY
My Thoughts
I try to get my hands on every book that Allison Pittman writes. She always has fresh stories with unique perspectives. This story takes the reader back to "Little House on the Prairie" when Laura was teaching school. Granted she only makes a quick appearance in this book, it is very interesting to imagine the lives of the people who knew her, even if only for a short time. I really enjoyed both timelines and I was a bit surprised at the turn the story takes with Mariah in the historical perspective. I very much enjoyed Trixie and her grandmother in 1974. It was so fun to read a story set in 1974 and Pittman did a great job at making each time period known. This is not a simple prairie romance and I think readers will be a bit surprised on how everything unfolds.
Four Stars.
" I received this book from the publisher for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."
