Beneath the Bending Skies

New from New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick, Beneath the Bending Skies is a sweeping story of hospitality, destiny, and the bonds of family.

About Beneath the Bending Skies

Mollie Sheehan has spent much of her life striving to be a dutiful daughter and honor her father’s wishes, even when doing so has led to one heartbreak after another. After all, what options does she truly have in 1860s Montana? But providing for her stepfamily during her father’s long absences doesn’t keep her from wishing for more.

When romance blooms between her and Peter Ronan, Mollie finally allows herself to hope for a brighter future–until her father voices his disapproval of the match and moves her to California to ensure the breakup. Still, time and providence are at work, even when circumstances are at their bleakest. Mollie may soon find that someone far greater than her father is in control of the course of her life–and that even the command to “honor thy father” has its limits.

My Thoughts

I fell in love with this story of Mollie – who is the kindest, strongest and devoted young woman during a time that is not the kindest to women in general. She is constantly pitted between her life dreams and goals, and her Father’s.

Mollie’s Mother passes away at a young age and as we come to learn, she was the love of her Father’s life. This plays into the control and the behaviours of her Father throughout the novel. At a young age by today’s standards, she falls in love with a man slightly older than her but a well respected man. Her Father denies the two the opportunity for love and goes to such extremes as moving a great distance to keep the two apart.

Mollie grows in her confidence and wisdom apart from her love but her heart yearns for more. She yearns for love and children and she faces a tough decision – does she follow her heart and teachings from God, or continue to allow her Father to dictate her life.

This was a beautiful story from start to finish. My heart broke for Mollie many times throughout the story – she is a beautiful soul who has sacrificed so much for her family but her Father refuses to really ‘see’ her and let her live. You become proud of her resilience and strength – rooting for her but hoping that she finds peace in her heart and with her family. Mollie’s personal struggles takes place in the context of her move to Montana as the wife of an Agent for the Native American tribes. In this, we are exposed to the treatment of the Indigenous people and the struggles that they faced during this time (a very high level look at their struggles).

This is a definite must read novel this winter season and would make a great gift this holiday season.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of forty books, including Something Worth Doing, One More River to Cross, Everything She Didn’t Say, All Together in One Place, 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, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. And been short-listed for the Christy, Spur, and Oregon Book Awards. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Caesar.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.