Birdie by Candace Simar

It’s 1873 and the story of Evan and Inga Jacobson and their growing family of five sons continues on the Minnesota prairie. Candace Simar has created such life-like characters that you are totally invested in their success or failure as they strive to tame the wilderness and create a home in the face of bank failures and a devastating grasshopper plague. A significant part of the story is devoted to their foster daughter, Ragna, whom they raised after her family was killed in the Sioux Uprising. She is haunted by her missing sister, Birdie, kidnapped by the Indians. The author shines, depicting Ragna’s near obsession with finding her lost sister years after her abduction.  Ragna never loses faith that Birdie is alive. Two story lines reach a climax simultaneously: the first with a gut-wrenching truth Ragna must face before she can move on with her life and the second with a surprising revelation for Evan that helps him face his own ghosts from the Sioux Uprising and make peace with the past. A very satisfying read.

You can purchase Birdie at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NYFP4EA?tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

You can learn more about Candace Simar at: http://candacesimar.com