Book Review: Across the Crying Sands

A promising premise with too many unanswered questions and plot lines

Blame it on my Missouri roots and my deep love of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but every once in a while I find myself wanting a historical novel set on the frontier. So, when I saw Jane Kirkpatrick’s book Across the Crying Sands, the first in her upcoming “The Women of Cannon Beach” series, I knew I had to get my hands on an early copy so I could review it before its May 20 release date. 

Across the Crying Sands is set in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1800s and focuses on Mary Edwards Gerritse and her husband, John. The book opens as the young couple is planning their wedding and follows them through early marriage and the travails of having and raising children as well as carving out a life for themselves. Mary, creative and energetic, nurtures a pioneering spirit, seeing her marriage as an avenue to adventure, but feeling stifled in her role as a mother and wife, often spending weeks and months alone trying to make a go of it on their homestead claim as John works as a mail carrier, helps build a road to bring people to Cannon Beach and works as a sailor. 

There’s also an element of mystery that’s introduced early on concerning Mary’s nervous and slightly OCD mother, Amanda. Amanda off-handedly refers to Mary as “Minnie,” leading to questions about Mary’s parentage and true family of origin. At one point, Mary discovers a photo of a woman and some children, but Amanda snatches it away and it’s only mentioned maybe once or twice in the novel after that. 

And, for me at least, that’s the major issue with Across the Crying Sands. I understand that it is the first in a series and as such, designed to introduce plotlines that won’t be fully fleshed out until later books—but there are too many threads left dangling in this first novel. The mystery of Mary’s family of origin and Amanda’s desire to keep it hidden are a big part of the first part of the novel, then basically forgotten. Mary’s friendship with a native woman, Jewell, is a big component of the novel, then Jewel disappears (literally, it’s a plot point) and that’s only mentioned off-handedly when Mary can’t find her the two times she tries to look for her. John, Mary’s husband, who has been utterly against Mary pursuing adventurous jobs outside of their home, has a sudden change of heart after a traumatic event—but that change of heart happens “off-camera” and it’s a bit unfulfilling for readers, at least this one. 

I think Jane Kirkpatrick’s series has promise and could be an interesting diversion in future days, but Across the Crying Sands introduces too many plot points and doesn’t deliver on enough of them for me to get in a hurry to seek out the remaining books when they release. While I enjoyed the pioneer setting and frontier tone, the characters felt a little two-dimensional, especially Mary’s mother and father, and in some ways, her husband, John. If you enjoy pioneer novels, definitely give it a try, but be aware it may leave you frustrated and a smidge unfulfilled. 

The Bookery Rating: 📙📙

Across the Crying Sands has a lot of promise and worth the read if you enjoy historical, Christian fiction—but introduces too many plotlines that won’t be fully completed until future books in the series, which could leave readers feeling unfulfilled and confused.

As an Amazon Associate, The Bookery earns from qualified purchases.