The Children's Blizzard

A Novel

By: Melanie Benjamin

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife comes a story of courage on the prairie, inspired by the devastating storm that struck the Great Plains in 1888, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders, especially schoolchildren.

“A nail-biter . . . poignant, powerful, perfect.” —Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network

The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats—leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm?

Based on actual oral histories of survivors, this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers—one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It’s also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It was Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured northern European immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed them to settle territories into states, and they didn’t care what lies they told these families to get them there—or whose land it originally was.

At its heart, this is a story of courage, of children forced to grow up too soon, tied to the land because of their parents’ choices. It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground, and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today—because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country.

The misery of the children.

I think this story could have been told just as well without the swearing and cuss words.

Good Story

Overall. I would say that this was a really good audiobook, with a great story. I personally like that the author took a historical event, and created her own characters, particularly school children, rather than adults. Also, thanks to the narrator, at times I found myself imagining and feeling like the characters, during their moments of intensity, hardship, and grief. I will say, however, I did find it a little confusing at the beginning, with things like, who was who, what their relationships were with each other, and whether or not we were in a flashback. Other than that though, I still say that this a good story to listen to.

Interesting Read

This was book was for the most part an enjoyable and engaging read. In the beginning, it was difficult to keep all the characters and their stories straight, but as the book went on it became easier and the story flowed a bit better. I personally liked the second half of the book better as it described the aftermath of the blizzard. (Though I didn't find the ending super satisfying :( )

Overall, I'd say it wasn't my favorite book, but it kept me entertained and I'll likely recommend it to friends.

Great novel

A wonderful novel! It really put a personal touch and human perspective on the great blizzard

Well Told, Captivating!

The story flowed so well and I was captivated by the story of each character.