Good Journey - by Micaela Gilchrist (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1826, after knowing him for only three days, Mary Bullet, a headstrong Southern belle, abandons her life of privilege to marry General Henry Atkinson; a man twice her age and the most powerful military commander on the Western frontier. But when she follows him to an army post in the small Creole village of St. Louis, she quickly discovers that her life is governed by an ancient quest for revenge and her husband's many deceptions.

Book Synopsis

Inspired by actual letters, The Good Journey breathes life into history with a richly imagined chronicle of twenty tumultuous years in the marriage of two American pioneers.
Strong-willed Southern belle Mary Bullitt abandons her life of luxury in Louisville, Kentucky, when she marries General Henry Atkinson and accompanies him to his outpost on the Mississippi. Nothing has prepared her for marriage to this attractive older man -- or for the realities of frontier living. Conditions are primitive, Mary knows virtually nothing about her husband, and the threat of attack from Indians is constant. A rough and resourceful general, Henry is engaged in a long and historic clash with a great Native American leader, and his deeply conflicted feelings about Indians mirror those he and his wife have for each other.
In the tradition of Willa Cather and Edna Ferber, Micaela Gilchrist has crafted an exciting novel that is at once a love story and an action-packed depiction of the struggle for the West.

Review Quotes

Janet Wallach Author of Desert Queen Micaela Gilchrist is an extraordinary writer. She breathes life into every person and place and puts the reader smack in the middle of history. Bravo!

Melinda Bargreen The Seattle Times Meticulously researched and remarkably strong.

Yvonne Crittenden The Toronto Sun Like that very good Civil War novel Cold Mountain...[The Good Journey] tells a historical story through the eyes of a memorable character. An absorbing and moving read.

About the Author

Micaela Gilchrist is the author of The Good Journey, winner of the Women Writing the West Award and the Colorado Book Award. She lives with her family in Colorado