Attorneys of Dallas

The Diary of Mattie Spenser

Description

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 Colerado 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 lieft behind and finds love where she least expects it. Dramatic and suspenseful, this is an unforgettable story of hardship, friendship and survival.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-11
Summary: "The Diary of Nattie Spencer"

This story is so interesting; I feel as though I am reading an actual old diary written by bright young early American woman. So descriptive, and the characters are all completely real to me. I will look forward to other books by Sandra Dallas.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-05-30
Summary: "The Diary of Mattie Spencer"

A very good book. Sad in places,but the kind of book you can't put down.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-04-25
Summary: "best book of the year"

I almost didnt down load this to my kindle after reading some of the reviews. That would have been a big mistake. I could not put it down. I read all day and through the night. I have been a great fan of Sandra Dalles for years and from now on I wont bother to read reviews I will just down load. Sandra if you should happen to read this I thank you for such great books. I will be waiting for the next one for kindle.

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2009-10-03
Summary: "Not really "historical" fiction"

I had high expectations for this book, and the author, but both fell short in the end. I did somewhat enjoy the story of Mattie & Luke Spenser, but was disappointed in the continual references to sex. While they were veiled in language of the day, the fact still remains that nary a chapter passes without a reference to sex, which is a sad commentary on literature in our times. I mean, really. Is it necessary to pepper every single book with sexual references? Can't a story stand on it's own merit?

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-09-01
Summary: "Out-of-character characters once again ... but a nice read"

I bought this book from a thrift store; after reading Alice's Tulips, I knew I did not want to spend any real money on a book by Sandra Dallas. She has a good story here (and subject matter I really enjoy), but the characters seem to jump around from the 19th century to the 21st century. All this blatant talk about "sex." I just don't believe it happened - I remember my grandmother's way of talking ... and believe me ... that woman never used that word in her whole life! And she was a nurse. I also wish the author would pay a little closer attention to historical cultural facts; at one point, Mattie talks about having a Christmas tree (or not as in this case); I doubt any Christian was thinking about having (or not having) a Christmas tree at this time as they were considered a pagan icon in the mid-1800s. As I entered the story, I knew I was in for a sticky ride ... she mentions (Page 3) how her 94-year-old neighbor "runs up and down the stairs." What?!? No 94-year-old (even if she does act "twenty years younger than her age") is running up and down stairs. And finally while portraying her characters, she sometimes forgets her descriptions; on one page she says Mr. Bondurant "is not much of an agrarian, because he told me he can recognize only two trees." Then just a few pages later she writes "... the prairie is thick with many grasses. Mr. Bondurant is teaching me their names ..." Well either he knows the local flora or he doesn't ... which is it? Once again, we have a good story, but frankly, Sandra needs to slow down and process what she is writing ... and, for heaven's sake, get a new editor.