When I watched the movie, I wanted to learn more about why the women went crazy. I don't think the movie explained it well enough. I picked up the book and found out. There are some dark stories in here. Great book on the realities of pioneer life. Not a romance book.

The book is a brutal telling about the hardships of frontier life and having seen the film first I see how Tommy Lee Jones was inspired to turn this into a movie. The film mirrors the book faithfully.

This was a fun, easy read that explored the realities of those that didn't necessarily make it in the new frontier. Rustic in it's telling but worth the read. Way, way better than the movie.

Brilliant! An exceptional book. It tells the story of four women who have had mental breakdowns in the western frontier. One lost three children in two days for example. A harsh unforgiving environment. Another woman much to the shock of the community volunteers to take the four women back to civilization and their family. On the awful journey across the frontier she meets and hires an outlaw to help her with devastating consequences.

Enjoyed strong female character, good historical detail about settling the west. Agree with others about bizarre plot turn 3/4 in. Appreciate being born here and now not then and there.

I found this book a little strange. I didn't like the ending.....that's happening a lot to me lately, so maybe it's just me?

A story of hardship told with compassion and some humor. Very moving.

I loved this book and don't normally read Westerns..excellent !

A good story, some unexpected events, and a conclusive end. It's worth reading if only to remind us how lucky we are to live in this country in this day.