The Diary of Mattie Spenser

Name: The Diary of Mattie Spenser
Brand: Recorded Books
Availability: InStock
Author: Sandra Dallas
ISBN: 9781449839932

Author: Sandra Dallas

Narrator: Celeste Ciulla

Unabridged: 9 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 10/18/2013

Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Synopsis

No one is more surprised than Mattie Spenser herself when Luke Spenser, considered the great catch of their small Iowa town, asks her to marry him. Less than a month later, they are off in a covered wagon to build a home on the Colorado frontier. Mattie's only company is a slightly mysterious husband and her private journal, where she records the joys and frustrations not just of frontier life, but also of a new marriage to a handsome but distant stranger. As she and Luke make life together on the harsh and beautiful plains, Mattie learns some bitter truths about her husband and the girl he left behind and finds love where she least expects it. Dramatic and suspenseful, this is an unforgettable story of hardship, friendship and survival.

“One of the bright new voices in historical fiction … Dallas's authentic period details, her colorful minor characters, and most of all Mattie herself lend charm and emotional truth to this appealing marital and pioneering adventure.”—Publishers Weekly

About Sandra Dallas

Sandra Dallas, dubbed â€œa quintessential American voiceâ€ in Vogue Magazine, is the author of over a dozen novels, including Prayers for Sale and Tallgrass, many translated into a dozen languages and optioned for films. Six-time winner of the Willa Award and four-time winner of the Spur Award, Dallas was a Business Week reporter for 25 years covering the Rocky Mountain region, and began writing fiction in 1990. She has two daughters and lives with her husband in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Vintage on August 22, 2023

A four star book even if a two star enjoyment for me. It's #7 on Hidden Gems of Historical Fiction. [URL not allowed] As the title suggests it's Mattie's diary, and it's heartwarming, poignant, bittersweet, sad and all that BS you expect from a book that is a well done represent......more

Goodreads review by Margo on November 17, 2024

This book, a fictional 1860s diary by a pioneer woman in Colorado Territory, has a great voice - witty and believable. The depth of research is evident in the details, and the 'of its time' worldview of the narrator. I liked the insights into women's lives in this era. It felt like reading a real hi......more

Goodreads review by Charlene on May 09, 2022

3.5 historical novel, told through diary entries by Mattie Spenser, 1865-1869, starting in Iowa and then covering her move as a young bride to eastern Colorado. I enjoyed this; author is a good storyteller and Mattie is a lively, brave young pioneer woman who comes to love the open landscapes of the......more

Goodreads review by Sandi on May 29, 2009

26 years ago my new husband and I loaded all our possessions in our " wagon" ie the Hertz rental truck and headed to a new land (Florida) to start our married life togerher. This book is about Mattie who heads west to the Colorado territory with her new husband Luke to start her married life. The bo......more