An amazing true story. As if the story itself wasn't enough (and it is), the author really did her research into the cultural and social history fo the U.S. and the Norweigian immigrant community Helga is a part of. This understanding of time and place makes you appreciate Helga's struggle even more. It's also a story of family secrets (the story of her journey was kept from the grandchildren and forbidden to be spoken of among the family, as well as the drawings and journals burned in an attempt to remove all trace of this story), and a story on the judgements we place on other people.

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I absolutely loved this book. It told me alot about the trials that women of that era faced. It was a good, well written book. Enjoyable.

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I sat next to the author on a plane and was fascinated enough to go home and promptly order the book. I was not disappointed. Helga Estby should be mentioned in more history books for her inspired effort to save her family.

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Excellent story about an amazing woman at the turn of the century. wish there was more known about her.

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I'm going to add to the positive reviews. They're all true.

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In 1896, a 36-year-old Norwegian immigrant named Helga Estby set out with her 18-year-old daughter, Clara, to walk from Spokane, Washington, to New York City, in hopes of winning a $10,000 cash prize. She wanted to use the winnings to prevent foreclosure on the family's Washington farm and to provide a more secure life for herself, her husband, and their eight children.

Bold Spirit is the story of that walk -- of the culture that formed Estby, of the personal and national events that led to the family's distress, of the changing roles of American women as the Victorian era waned, and of the societal norms that nearly resulted in the story disappearing from the pages of history.

It's a huge, complex, and ultimately distressing story, and one that Hunt keeps firmly within the realm of scholarship, which is probably the book's biggest flaw. Like Lauren Kessler's Stubborn Twig, which dealt with a Japanese-American family's internment during World War II, Bold Spirit is essentially stripped of its inherent drama and keeps the reader firmly at arm's length.

There's still a lot to digest here, though it takes some reading between the lines. The story is worth knowing, and Hunt's retelling simply cracks open the door. One hopes a writer who is as interested in the heart of this amazing woman as in the journey she made will revisit this rich and multi-faceted American tale.

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