About the Book
SYNOPSIS
Inspired by the author’s original family memoirs, this absorbing story introduces us to the questing, indomitable Sarah Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory of the late 1800s. As a child, a fiery young woman, and finally a caring mother, Sarah forges a life as full and as fascinating as our deepest needs, our most secret hopes and our grandest dreams. She rides Indian-style and shoots with deadly aim, greedily devours a treasure trove of leatherbound books, downs fire, flood, Comanche raids and other mortal perils with the unique courage that forged the character of the American West.
Rich in authentic details of daily life and etched with striking character portraits of very different pioneer families, this action-packed novel is also the story of a powerful, enduring love between Sarah and the dashing cavalry officer Captain Jack Elliot. Neither the vast distances traveled nor the harsh and killing terrains could quench the passion between them, and the loss and loneliness both suffer only strengthen their need for each other.
REVIEWS
“Clear, at times lyrical prose...providing vivid, colorful characters and historically accurate backdrop.”Visit your local library to borrow a copy of These is My Words. Or purchase it from HarperCollins Publishers.
- The Washington Post
“Jack and Sarah are as delicious a couple as Rhett and Scarlett. The three-hankie ending to their long love affair will definitely make you give a damn.”
- USA Today
“These is My Words belongs on your must-read list. In her first book, Nancy E. Turner approaches the fine qualities of Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer-winning ‘Lonesome Dove.’ The two books share unforgettable characters, a grand sweep of history, adventure, love and emotion so real that you feel it. These is My Words is a book not to miss.”
- Omaha World Herald
“This rip-roaring yarn, the diary as page-turner, is based on Turner’s great-grandmother’s diary and covers 20 years in the life of a woman in the Arizona Territories at the end of the last century. Through these pages, we watch the spirited Sarah, unpolished but spunky at 17, improve both her grammar and her grace; come to terms with death and tragedy including Indian attacks, train robbers, and childhood disease; marry twice and love one man fiercely; birth and bury children; and keep a large cast of extended family in her heart and in her kitchen. Along the way, she examines her own feelings toward Indians, Mexicans, and folks from back east; learns to manage money by making and selling her own scented soap; and attracts the love of her life by besting a bully in a shooting match. The language is rich and fine, sounding true to its time without being precious.”
- Booklist