A Book Review

Today I want to introduce you to the book Bluebird on the Prairie by Tasha Hackett. I’ve known Tasha for a while, and usually we run into each other at events where we are each promoting our books. Also, as a matter of fact, we both live in Stromsburg, so I’ve had people ask me before if there is something in the air or the water that creates authors. I can’t claim to have done any testing, but I rather doubt that’s the case. I guess both of us just discovered something good.

My Take on Bluebird on the Prairie

Bluebird on the Prairie

Eloise Davidson is young and widowed—and lonely. Zeke James is always trying to see beyond the next horizon, always eager to see new things—and he has no intentions of staying in Ockelbo, Nebraska.

Despite a rocky first encounter, Zeke and Eloise begin a tentative friendship that opens their eyes to truths they’ve never known about life, themselves, and love. A horse that refuses to mind, a salty soup, and a little boy bound to get into trouble forge them closer together, but a wedding ring and a misplaced letter lead to wrong assumptions that could drive them apart forever.

Can the past truly be set aside to make way for the future? And what if that future turns out to be entirely different than anything they had planned?

In Bluebird on the Prairie, Tasha Hackett weaves together a story of hope in the midst of grief, friendship grown out of loneliness, and humor mixed throughout. Each of her characters comes to life on the pages of her book, and as a warning, there is no such thing as a good stopping place in this book. Each section links right to the next one and made it a struggle for me to put down.

Ockelbo is a place you won’t want to leave, and the people who populate it made me laugh many times. A Swedish background adds to the town’s distinction, and I enjoyed the accents and Swedish sayings.

My only complaint with the book was that if Zeke truly believed Eloise was married, then he should have been more careful in his thoughts and how he dealt with her. What goes on in the mind is important to me as I believe that thoughts drive actions and that you can’t hold fire to your clothes and expect not to be burned.

Bluebird on the Prairie points to a message of redemption even in the midst of difficult situations, and to the fact that a man may make plans, but whether they come to pass or not depends on God. Tasha neatly ties off all the ends of the story as she brings the book to a satisfying close. And everyone loves a happily ever after, right?

To find out more about Tasha and her book, visit her website at www.TashaHackett.com.