Donna K. (katshack) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
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.
Tonya T. (touton) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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.
Catherine M. (readitagain) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 47 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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.
John S. (Seajack) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 347 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I'm going to add to the positive reviews. They're all true.
Jayne M. (denreads) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
True story about a woman and her daughter who walked across america in 1876.Story is written from newspaper articles and accounts. A peek into what it was like being a more liberated woman in that time. Excellent book
Michelle M. (jade19721) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 115 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I won't go over the plot again because you can just read above what the book is about. What I do want to say about this book is that Helga Estby and her daughter Clara are two of the most inspirational women ever. I don't really care what the norm was at that time, I don't think most men would have been able to do what she and Clara did. What better motivation than to do this than to try and save the family farm which she and her husband had worked so hard for.The ending was a bit tough considering how her family treated her when she came back and for years later. If not for her daughter in law this story might never have been remembered because her family was incredibly angry with Helga and did not like to let her talk about the trip. The book also touches on important topics of that day such as women's rights, women's health, politics,destitute families in the big cities, and issues related to workers and their need for better rights. I highly recommend for everyone!
Dottie J. (pippin2) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 48 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent story about an amazing woman at the turn of the century. wish there was more known about her.
Deborah T. reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 92 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful account of two woman walking from Oregon to New York in 1896, what they encounter and what the cost is of their trip and the loss of the reward of $10,000. It shows the spirit of the pioneer women to endure whatever life handed them and to strive for better and the ability to move outside of the normal thinking and do what must be done. This was wonderful and I feel beneficial to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of this country's history.
Helpful Score: 1
This book brought me to tears near the end. Not only does it tell a very powerful story of a woman's life, but the author includes thoughtful suggestions concerning the importance of preserving and sharing your life story or the story of someone close to you.
Cassie G. (wildeclipse) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 81 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great true story about determination that can be found in women in a era that it was not acceptable to do certain things. I would recommend this book to others.
Barbara B. (GrannyGamer) -
Helpful Score: 1
I have mixed feelings about this book. It is well written, and surely well intentioned, but because of a lack of extensive source material, is filled with speculation rather than solid facts. Also, while it's extremely interesting in some respects, there is a lack of joy or humor which makes the book ultimately depressing. Still, it provides many fascinating glimpses into the "adventure" of Helga Estby and her daughter, as well as America of that age.
Tyra M. (tyra) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Fascinating true story of an amazing woman. The storytelling was not all it could have been.
Melanie C. reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I read this for book club....some interesting early history of Spokane/Idaho. She seems a women before her time.
Scott T. reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 14 more book reviews
Author does a good job of piecing sketchy information into a book. I was a bit put off by all the holes in the story, and of the walk too. It is worth the read, but I'm glad I didn't pay full book store price for my copy. I found myself really drifting as the story was so sketchy and incomplete during the walk.
Paula G. (Paulathegreat) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 148 more book reviews
The beginning was a little slow, but at the end it paid off.
I would have liked to know her. She was stubborn and independent, but I really think she did do it for her family.
I would have liked to know her. She was stubborn and independent, but I really think she did do it for her family.
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 1474 more book reviews
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.
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.
Pamela K. (PetrusPup) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 23 more book reviews
The true story of Helga and Clara Estby's walk from Washington state to New York in 1896.
Nancy R. reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 10 more book reviews
Found this a bit unbelievable but it does speak to the ability and strength of woman in a time when they didn't even have the right to vote. It reads more like a college research paper then a novel. I'm glad I read it but I wouldn't call it a must read.
Dana W. (SouthWestZippy) -
In 1896 Helga Estby along with her Eldest daughter Clara walked 3500 miles across the American continent in order to win a $10,000 wager provided by a mysterious sponsor. Great story! Has you cheering them on but it also leaves you speechless at times on of how people can be so cruel. Not the best writing, it is choppy and dry. Author also leaves you hanging here and there but overall the story is so worth the read.
Susan S. (beau64) reviewed Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America on + 84 more book reviews
She is not someone I would have wanted to know. Just how much was to save the farm, and how much was her ego, is debtable.
