The Diary of Mattie Spenser: A Novel

Sandra Dallas can number me among her devoted fans. I haven't read anything yet from her that I haven't admired. And I delighted in THE DIARY OF MATTIE SPENSER; couldn't put it down.As always with a book by Ms. Dallas, she has researched thoroughly so that her readers can truly understand the time and the place in which she sets her story.MATTIE opens with the pioneers on the wagon train to what was then the Colorado Territory. Most of the story then unfolds on the prairie where this new bride and her husband settle. This was a place so isolated and so bleak that we now know it drove many women, and a few men, to madness.Certainly, we understand these hardships as we sit in our warm homes, reading under the light of a good lamp. But seeing the hardships spelled out, as Dallas does here, reminds us of the extent of the woes that these people endured, and the stoicism with which they accepted their realities. Indian attacks, isolation, no plumbing, heat, light, medicine, plus childbirth fever...well, we now have a lot for which to be thankful. And the distance that, as a population, we have moved in just a century is highlighted by this diary.Part of Dallas' skill is that she always inhabits her characters so perfectly, giving them their voices. Mattie, as Dallas writes her, is a woman of extraordinary virtues. Decent, educated, kind and capable, she accepts her bridegroom's choices and defines the old-fashioned concept of "helpmate."Like all of Ms. Dallas' novels, this story pivots on a terrible secret, the worst secret she has written to date. I must admit that I was upset with the outcome here, though I cannot see how the diary could have ended in any other way. Still, Mattie's decision is thought-provoking in terms of today's women, and it highlights how far women have come in terms of both our rights and our freedoms within society.I admired the concept of writing this story in the form of diary entries. Since Ms. Dallas apparently is a leading expert on Colorado frontier history, I cannot help wondering how much of MATTIE may be fact-based.Truth or fiction, it doesn't matter. THE DIARY OF MATTIE SPENSER is a wonderful book that will stay with its admirers for years after it first is read.

Book itself is in good shape and I am enjoying the story

At first wasn't sure this book was going to grab my attention. It didn't take long and I was all in.Very interesting.

I bought this book because I loved Sandra Dallas' new book "True Sisters", so I decided to try another of her works. After I began reading this one, I purchased five more Dallas books from Amazon and eagerly await their arrival. Reading Mattie's diary kept me up at night because I just didn't want to put the book down. Being such an avid reader, I cannot believe that I skipped Dallas' work for so many years, but now I am glad I did because I have the distinct treat of reading them all, and they are new to me. First of all, I really enjoy books written in diary form. This one is about a young woman who marries and within a month is on her way from Iowa to the Colorado Territory, and it takes place directly after the Civil War. The story depicts the people, the way of life (living in a soddy), the weather, the sparse group of neighbors and their stories and personalities, the difficulties of child birth (no doctors), illnesses, hearbreaks and triumphs. Most importantly, Mattie's strength really shines through. She was one incredible woman, and this is an amazing work from Sandra Dallas. Her historical research, written into the story's events, is awesome in its scope and very interesting. In comparing our lives today with theirs in this time period, it is a wonder that any survived. Do a good deed for yourself, and purchase this book.

I read this a few times a decade or so ago and loved it, I even named my daughter Maddie because I loved it so much. (Husband preferred Madeline, so we compromised) I decided a few days ago that I should read it again and see if I still liked it, since I am in a very different stage of life now. I still loved it and it's still my favorite! Sandra Dallas has a gift for bringing characters to life without weighing the reader down with too much description. I was on the prairie with the Spensers as I read. I felt their joys, their sorrows, their disappointment and their love. I only wish the story was true and that Mattie Spenser was my ancestor.

This is a wonderful work of historical fiction. Vivid in its imagery and replete with period detail, it is a page turner of a book. I simply could not put it down! The book gives a first person narrative of what life was like on the frontier from the perspective of a young woman.In 1865, twenty-two year old Mattie McCauley is living in a small community in Iowa with her parents, when the town catch, Luke Spenser, suddenly proposes to her. No one is more surprised than Mattie, when he does so, as she always thought he would be marrying Persia Chalmers, his longtime sweetheart. Not giving it more than a second thought, Mattie accepts his proposal, and before she knows it, finds herself headed to the Colorado Territory with her new husband.Mattie records in her diary details of her trip by wagon train to her new home, as well as what happens once she gets there. Along the way she makes friends, learns some hard facts about her husband, as well as her marriage, and forges a life, one that reader will find to be of interest. Those who enjoy well-written historical fiction will love this utterly engaging book!

Very good and engaging novel that carried me away. I love the way Sandra write historical fiction. Took me 2 days to read. Almost as satisfying as Prayers for Sale and that's saying something!

I have never read a bad Sandra Dallas book, and this was yet another enjoyable novel - told in diary form by a young bride left behind with her ma-in-lawwhen her new husband goes off to the American Civil war. You can see how she grows from a selfish flippitygibbit into someone who can deal with life during the course of this book.Second hand but as described from a good seller.

Not a bad read but I like other similar books more.