You Won't Soon Forget this Beautiful Story - A Review of Stronger Than Mountains, a Novel by Lynn Dean

I stayed up late last night to finish Lynn Dean's Stronger Than Mountains, a western historical that's wild west adventure, women's fiction, and a family coming-of-age story all wrapped in one.

Sangre de Cristo Series ~ Book Two

It is the story of a man and a woman whose years of marriage and struggle to raise a passel of children in a hard but beautiful land has run them dry. Despite the dreams they began with, they've begun to live separate lives, unsure how to salvage their love and the hope for the future they once had. Meanwhile, there are obstacles to saving their family and their ranch -- big ones -- from floods and food shortage, to a desperate cattle drive, ambushing thieves, a difficult pregnancy, and a land war. Zeke and Millie are dealing with all these while trying to raise a daughter who is growing fast, and three restless boys who are each trying to make the sometimes risky leap across the chasm to manhood. Against this ever-increasing mountain of hardships, Zeke and Millie struggle to make sense of their lives and the love that once bound them together.

I admire Ms. Dean's writing style a great deal. By chapter two I was holding my breath, and when one of their sons did what he did (no spoilers!) my eyes got all misty. (Let it be known that I'm a hard case. Fiction doesn't get to me that easily.) Ms. Dean tells a story with beauty, depth, and authenticity. If you are married, you'll relate to her characters' troubles and striving in one way or another. As a parent, you'll be touched and encouraged, and you won't soon forget this moving and insightful tale.