An Uncommon Woman

Laura Frantz writes with a rare depth of feeling. I was completely immersed in this story from the very first. The characters are finely wrought, and the author does a masterful job of showing the difficulties of frontier living, including the struggles of building relationships between men and women of diverse cultures, spiritualities, and backgrounds.The romantic elements are perfectly paced, building anticipation without the need for graphic and explicit sexuality. The relationships and struggles of the characters are the central components that make this story almost impossible to put down.I recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction.

I love this author. She is a gifted writer, and a great Historian as well. The seller was a bit slow but satisfactory.

In my opinion, three things set Laura Frantz’ writing apart from and above that of all others currently writing for the historical Christian market. Firstly, her meticulous and exhaustive research of the period and place. Writing primarily (but not exclusively) in the late 1700’s (and again, not exclusively) in areas of Virginia and Kentucky, she thoroughly employs the entire ethos of her characters’ language, mannerisms, food, farming, and moral and religious values; many of them inherited from European sources, most notably Scotland. Add to that a well-researched grasp of the geo-political climate of the period and you have the makings of a wonderful story. Thirdly, Laura Frantz’ mellifluous narration of the storyline is eloquent and patient. Many a love story is ruined by an author’s awkward rushing of the love angle in an otherwise good story. Ms. Frantz richly deserves the Christy award she won for her 2018 novel, “The Lacemaker,” and this novel may well be a contender for the Christy and other honors as well.Each of the principle characters – Tessa, Clay, and Keturah - is uniquely interesting. Tessa - guileless, unpretentious, yet plucky - demonstrates extraordinary courage – some might suggest foolhardiness - in the face of danger and hardship. Keturah, taken captive at an early age and held for years by Lenapes, has suffered much with repeated dislocation, much in her life having gone awry, though none of her own doing. He entire existence might have devolved into a swirl of life’s most basic questions; “Who am I?” “Where do I belong?” “Who are my people – both the natives and settlers, though they war against each other?” In spite of all she endured she is eminently Christlike and selfless. A proverb says, “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Such a friend was Keturah.Clay too had been taken by Indians at an early age. He knew the Indians’ ways well, having lived them in his formative years. His character, thoughts, and values bring into sharp relief the moral paradox of the settlers and the Indians. Clay has had more time than Keturah to adjust to the jarring effects of returning to what remained of his former life. But still he harbored powerful mental and emotional ties to both heritages. Tamanen is not a principal character, and we have less exposure to his thoughts, personality, and actions; but his part is critical to the understanding of the tension between himself and Clay, which in turn is a microcosm of the overall conflict faced by the natives and the settlers. Did the aboriginal peoples, by virtue of their nativity, have exclusive claim to the land with an accompanying right to expel others who sought a place to live in peace and freedom? Did any rights at all accrue to the settlers who fled oppression and strictures on their practice of religion seeking freedom and opportunity? Indians had a different perception about the land – based more on communal rights to use the land on which they lived for residency, hunting and burial grounds - rights that must be protected against encroachers. The settlers held the European concept of exclusive ownership and a person’s or family’s total control of land so owned, along with the perception that any land unclaimed under those terms was for the taking.Clay clearly understood both sets of beliefs, setting up conflict not only between himself and Tamanen, but within Clay's own mind and heart. Probably only a person who had lived in both worlds could grasp the ramifications of the inevitable clash, as Clay and Keturah surely did. So the stories of Clay and Keturah and the Swans – and to an extent Tamanen – transport those nettlesome questions from the abstract to a personal framework.Several passages in “An Uncommon Woman” are relatable to people living today…the excruciating melancholy of parting with a loved one, possibly never to meet again…the vicissitudes of a developing relationship as it ripens from infatuation to deep love…the nocuous effect of alienation from a loved one on health and well-being.“An Uncommon Woman” is a thoroughly interesting and entertaining story. More formal accolades will likely be coming Laura Frantz’ way.

Laura Frantz is fast becoming one of those writers I look forward to every year, and perhaps one whose books I would read no matter what they were about. This time, she tackles a piece of history often forgotten, the relationships between white colonial Americans and Native Americans on the frontier. However, this is not Laura Ingalls Wilder's frontier, but the Ohio/Virginia/West Virginia border country. Throw in a three-dimensional cast of characters and you have a refreshing, intriguing book.Speaking of intriguing, Tessa Swan embodies the trait. Laura does a great job of mixing character traits with her. One moment, she's an intrepid frontier woman who can shoot, ride, and handle the wilderness as well as or better than any of her five brothers. The next she's a feminine lady who rightfully craves luxuries like poetry, petticoats, and authentic English tea without being prissy or spoiled about it. She's whip-smart, great in a crisis, but tenderhearted enough to want true love, not a hot and cold relationship. All this makes her a pleasure to spend almost 400 pages with.As for Clay Tygart, he has his fair share of intrigue, too. Raised as a Lenape captive for over a decade, he straddles two worlds with more aplomb than I've seen similar characters do in his type of situation. I did want to see more of his Lenape experiences paying off and influencing the story, but what exists works great. I also loved the twist regarding Clay, Tamenen, and Keturah. It incited some deep, relatable conflict and raised the stakes well for our characters.The secondary characters were pleasures as well, although some are necessarily less developed than others. Some, I wanted to see more of, to learn how they might grow and change, or how they might influence the story. Jasper and Keturah are the two that come to mind. With that said, they work well together, especially in the Fort Tygart setting, which almost functions as a character in itself. I love settings that function in such a way.The plot is an almost perfect mix of action and romance, internal and external stakes. From the muster day kiss to Tessa's ingenious way of dealing with Native American interlopers, from Clay and Tessa's first dance to their final one at Semple's, each scene is crafted with a deft and loving hand. You never feel as though one half of the story is pulling you away from the other, which isn't an easy feat. I also appreciate that Laura didn't fall back on some old, almost cliched conflicts like having Tessa's frontier upbringing pose an obstacle to marriage.The overall story can feel too packed at times, or as if certain conflicts or characters don't have quite enough space. For instance, Laura explains in her author's note why Keturah is not the heroine, and I'm on board with her decision. But Keturah seems like such an important character and catalyst, yet she's barely there. The same is true for Tamenen. Perhaps if Clay's captive years had been better explored, or Tessa had been the captive, this would've worked better. Overall though, An Uncommon Woman nets a solid 4.5-4.75 and a solid recommendation.

This one ripped my heart out of my chest and did a little victory dance over top as I lay sobbing (heartless) in a corner. Okay, so maybe that's putting it a bit dramatically, but whoa. This book was intense. INTENSE frontier life, yo. However, it was beautifully written. Frantz did a great job with vivid wording, creating an immersive landscape and setting--as I said, it was intense.The pace was pretty slow, but I didn't find myself minding, until the 50-75% mark when I was expecting certain big plot things to happen, and then they didn't, until like three chapters until the end, and then I kind of felt like certain things were sprung, not explained properly (considering how methodic the plot pacing was until that point) & just rushed through. Yes, I read the epilogue on Frantz's website, but...I've never been a huge epilogue fan. So, I wished that the pacing could've changed about halfway through to accommodate some of the big plot changes/arcs that took place at the end--when I felt they should've taken place half-ish way through so we had longer for the people to sort out the fallout of these major events. Some key moments definitely felt rushed to me.However, those matters aside--I really enjoyed Clay & Tessa as characters. They went so well together. Both such sweet, genuine people--and I love to see a good couple like them come together! They were a slow burn couple, and boy was it hard to not see them come together sooner--but as far as slow-burn romances go--theirs was pretty fantastic, I'll admit.

After reading Laura Frantz's The Frontier's Daughter, I had to read An Uncommon Woman. It came up to all my expectations of being taken to another time and place with so many hardships, yet triumphs. A good book to read in today's challenges. I loved it.

Laura Frantz continues to be my favourite author, and has been since I first picked up The Colonel’s Lady years ago. I cannot wait for each new novel. As I read this newest contribution, I kept dreading that I was nearing the end the further I read, but I didn’t want to put it down. Her characters feel genuine, the detail and history worked into the story are captivating and refreshing, and I yet again was sad that the story came to an end. I count this among my favourite novels of hers, along with The Colonel’s Lady and the Frontiersman’s Daughter, but honestly, I find it difficult to choose favourites.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. An engaging history lesson on frontier life that I didn’t want to end. I was not ready to say goodbye to Clay and Tessa when I finished the book. I wish there was a part 2! Thank you Laura for another deeply satisfying read.