One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow

A Novel

By: Olivia Hawker

Narrated by: Jackie Zebrowski

Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

From the bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night comes a powerful and poetic novel of survival and sacrifice on the American frontier.

Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn’t think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse.

Losing her husband to Cora’s indiscretion is another hardship for stoic Nettie Mae. But as a brutal Wyoming winter bears down, Cora and Nettie Mae have no choice but to come together as one family - to share the duties of working the land and raising their children. There’s Nettie Mae’s son, Clyde - no longer a boy, but not yet a man - who must navigate the road to adulthood without a father to guide him, and Cora’s daughter, Beulah, who is as wild and untamable as her prairie home.

Bound by the uncommon threads in their lives and the challenges that lie ahead, Cora and Nettie Mae begin to forge an unexpected sisterhood. But when a love blossoms between Clyde and Beulah, bonds are once again tested, and these two resilient women must finally decide whether they can learn to trust each other - or else risk losing everything they hold dear.

©2019 Olivia Hawker (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Never went anywhere

This could have been better , but the annoying voice of Cora drove me crazy and that made listening to the narrator when she did the speaking for Cora painful to listen to .
I just could not feel anything but annoyance with her character and the self pity made my teeth hurt . The saving grace of the book were two teenagers who really held the book together .
Also did not understand the cruelty of the animal scene with the coyote- I am not for sure why the author even placed this in the book and it was a turn off for me -
The book just did not go anywhere but maybe it was just me - seeing how some gave this 5 stars
I can not recommend it though
I did finally finish but it just seemed that the book never went anywhere

Loved Everything About This Book!

You can dive right into the characters through their emotions. The storyline is wonderful and pulls you through the drama through a well written narrative. Looking forward to reading more books by Olivia Hawker!

Captivating story

Wonderful story, interesting characters. My biggest criticism is that it came to an end. Please write a sequel! I want the characters to continue on.

Sweet but very slow read

This book did not hold my complete attention. I drifted as each scene dragged on. Overall the story is sweet, but not fast-paced or exciting.

Western homesteading in 1800's

This story describes harsh conditions for early pioneers farming the land. It weaves together themes of dangerous weather, constant physical work indoors and out, social isolation, human frailty, interpersonal difficulties, the hope of redemption, and love. All colored by a mysticism of the land and animals, the repeated cycle of life and death. It took me a couple chapters to enter the story's flow, but once there, I couldn't wait to hear more. I was never bored with this book, but I was challenged to enter a different reality and leave preconceptions behind -- and I highly recommend it. But if you're looking for glamour, quick action, standard characters, and light simple reading, this is not the book for you. It demands your attention and thought.

good story but some of the dialogue was tiring.

struggled.to get through some of the dialoge. the premise of the story was great. not crazy about the narrator.

A Novel written as Poetry

The writing was loved unanimously by my whole book club. I enjoyed the storyline and have recommended the book to friends who love Mother Earth.

The Narrator!

I love Jackie Zebrowski in this and i wish there were more books with her as the narrator! The story is really great too and gives a good glimpse at early life on the prairie.

Poorly produced

Unnaturally long pauses at every comma and period. I’ll have to read it for myself, because listening is painful.

A wonderful gripping story

I read quite a bit, but rarely a novel. I’m not sure how I landed on this book, but will count it as one of the most memorable in my 72 years. The story is personal, reminding me of youthful thoughts so long ago. The writing is superb shifting from one character to another with a personal narrative at just the right time each time.