Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

ISBN: 9781984805058

It’s 1857, and Carrie Ballentyne is ready for a life change. She has a fair amount of experience as a nurse and midwife after living and working in Manhattan, and the job advertisement posted by Dr. Sam Markham from Santa Fe, New Mexico, is overwhelmingly appealing. Carrie has never shied away from adventures, and she wants to get away from the memories of a personal tragedy in an otherwise happy life. 

Amid tearful farewells with her family, Carrie and her brother, Nathan, set out on the months-long journey from New York to the American Southwest. At the start of their train journey, Carrie meets Eli Ibarra who is clearly half Indian and half Mexican—a Mestizo. His background does nothing to deter Carrie from talking to Eli; she and Nathan grew up with cousins, aunts, and uncles all from Indian tribes, and Carrie has always felt at home with people of different races. 

The same can’t be said for everyone on the journey west, however. Conversations about war are everywhere, and opinions vary widely depending on if a person came from a state that supports slavery or is an abolitionist. Carrie doesn’t tolerate the injustice of racism and discrimination and scandalizes more than one fellow traveler with her growing friendship with Eli and others from Santa Fe who clearly have no European heritage in their blood.

Then comes word that the situation in Santa Fe has become more dire. Dr. Markham’s original advertisement was for a nurse and midwife to join his practice but, more immediately, to attend to his wife who is expecting their second child. His message says Mrs. Markham’s condition has become serious and Carrie should come as soon as possible. With the dangers of traveling via horseback across the prairie and desert, Carrie allows Eli and some trusted men to accompany her to Santa Fe.

The relief from a safe arrival is short-lived, however, when Carrie meets the Markham family and realizes something is very wrong. Worse, Dr. Markham is depending on Carrie to lie for his family. Initially giving her a wide berth, the women in Santa Fe soon start trusting her with their healthcare needs. Carrie delivers their babies and listens to their complaints, all while wondering what will become of the Markhams and their little girl, Lulu, who has endeared herself to Carrie in a short time.

Author Sara Donati resists any urge to rush her story along. Instead, readers get the pleasure of two adventures in one. The first is Carrie’s journey west and all the challenges a cross-country trip would have presented in the mid-19th century. The second is her establishment in Santa Fe as a white woman, one of a minority, trying to earn the trust and confidence of a new town and its people. 

Donati’s historical authenticity is exquisite and grounds the book in reality; readers will have no trouble feeling Carrie’s trepidation when she and her traveling party come across attacking Native Americans or the challenge of settling into a town where the summer climate can be punishing at best. In the midst of this rich history lesson, readers will enjoy the advancing romance between Carrie and Eli. Although it feels inevitable, the relationship also holds its fair share of surprises.

Carrie’s fierce independence and progressive views are very much of the 21st century, but Donati’s presentation of them doesn’t jar readers out of the story world. On the contrary, Carrie comes across as a young woman with fresh ideas for a young country finding its footing and its identity—something the protagonist herself is looking for. It’s easy to see her as a bright-eyed, determined woman looking forward to the future.

Those who enjoy sweeping historical sagas with everything from romance to stories of the “wild west” to the reassurance that the fight for equality has a long, rich history need to check this out. Writers would be well advised to study the book as a masterclass on how a slow but steady pace can keep readers engaged from start to finish. I recommend readers Binge The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati.