And the Indian man comes back into her life…
Who will Lael choose?
And how will she ever let go of the bitterness of her past that slowly but steadily begins to corrode her heart?
Will she let God into her life in order to help her make the right decisions?
And who will win her love?
The Frontiersman’s Daughter is Laura Frantz’s first novel. I have read almost all of Laura’s books before this one. The Frontiersman’s Daughter is not my favorite, but it was a beautiful read, just like all of her other books. Laura Frantz always writes with beauty and passion while somehow infusing at the same time a sort of melancholy that touches the reader’s heart. Lael is a very likeable character. Her emotions are real, raw, and extremely human. I love her strengths and empathize when her weaknesses are revealed. She is a wild, beautiful girl who grows into a mature and lovely woman. The novel is told in third person from Lael’s point of view. Nobody else’s thoughts are ever revealed but her own. I love how the author makes the novel feel wild because that is what Lael is. She is the main character and she is in control of the mood and emotions of the book.
I really like Ezekiel Click. He is a rough yet handsome frontiersman who learns how to survive in the wilderness of Kentucke while being a prisoner of the Indians for years. I believe that he is (spoiler alert) resurrected in another of Laura Frantz’s books, Courting Morrow Little(which is my absolute favorite of her books). I've noticed as I've read Laura’s books that she loves blue eyes. Both Lael and Ezekiel have fierce blue eyes and many of her characters in her other books have blue eyes as well.
One complaint I have is that this novel was a little too long. I think that the reading got a little tedious for me because it was solely from Lael’s point of view. It could have been more condensed and been just as good. Also, I felt that the spiritual aspect of the novel could have been deeper. Lael does wrestle with God for a while nearing the end of but that is in the background somewhat more than it should be. She wasn't at all concerned with spiritual things as a girl, which is about half of the book. But, as always, Laura Frantz’s writing style is both profound and saturated in emotion. A very good read. But not my favorite by this author.
I give The Frontiersman’s Daughter 4 out of 5 stars.