Where the Lost Wander: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 35,544 ratings

Price: 2.49

Last update: 07-21-2024


About this item

In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.

When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually…make peace with who they are.


Top reviews from the United States

Candice Starcher
5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
I rarely give a 5 star rating. This novel definitely deserves it. It is a brilliant, well-written glimpse into history. This is not a normal genre for myself. I am very impressed with this author and her story-telling weaves flawlessly into historical events. The characters are rich, the heritage shines through, and I didn’t want the story to end. There are painful parts, happy parts, tear-filled parts, and the struggle of the crossing is felt whole-heartedly. It ranks in my top 10 novels of the past few years. It’s a story that will stay with you.
KLBoehm
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Oregon Trail novel
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
In the 1860s, covered wagons pulled by teams of oxen or mules made their way across the Oregon Trail for two thousand miles between St. Joseph, Missouri and California. They carried thousands of pioneers with their dreams for better lives. For months on end, they endured oppressive heat, deep snow, torrential rains, and threats of diseases and Indian attacks. Author Amy Harmon has crafted a fine historical fiction novel which chronicles their struggles and their triumphs. She crafted all of the main characters after true life Indians and pioneers, ancestors of her own husband.

Mule trader John Lowry’s dream was to establish a thriving business in California. He brought with him his finest stock. Talented portrait artist and 19-year-old widow Naomi May was on the trail with her father, her pregnant mother, and her three brothers. Altogether, forty families from Missouri paid experienced guide Grant Abbott to lead their wagons and their livestock safely across the plains.

In turn, the Indians were depicted either as cruel savages or as thoughtful, reasonable men. Since he was half white, half Pawnee Indian, John walked the line between both worlds. His knowledge of the Pawnee and Shoshoni languages and his understanding of their culture and rituals facilitated communications. His relationship with widely respected Shoshoni Chief Washakie and his wife Hanabi was forged when he saved their baby from drowning in a rushing river. John and Naomi shared an undeniable mutual attraction. Against the backdrop of the wide-open plains, the book is filled with adventure, adversity, and romance which becomes more heartfelt as chapters pass. Evenly paced, well written, and highly recommended.
MommaFish
4.0 out of 5 stars Emotional but awesome
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2024
I almost put this book down after I read the beginning, worried I wasn't ready for something so sad and intense. But I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did.
The trigger warnings are true, it's intense for sure, but definitely well worth it!!
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put it down!
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
What a journey ! John Lowry was a complicated character but he definitely had my respect. Noemi was a simple woman with an attraction to John. That we already know, but by the end of the book I had an admiration for her and I could relate so much to her pain. Every character in the book is lovable.
Spoilers ahead...

Even the tribe who Noemi hated because they killed her family. The author made the reader think and ask ourselves are white men evil or are the Indians bad men ? I loved the wisdom that Noemi's mom gave her about life. The lost woman was a representation of all the women in the past , present and future who have dealt with loss and any other pain that has forever changed them. Great book ! That's all I can share right now but I took a lot more from this book. Also, sex for a husband and wife as described in the book is so intimate. Private. Passionate. Full of tenderness. A dance like it's mentioned in the book when John and Noemi kiss. I'm thankful that the author didn't write about it any other way.
Kim Golding
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024
Where the Lost Wander is a beautiful story of love, loss, hope, despair, trial, and triumph! It follows Naomi May and her family across the Oregon Trail in a wagon company of many, including John Lowry. It’s so hard to fathom the life and trials that the early pioneers encountered as they made the trek across the plains in search of a better life. Their stories were brought to life in this beautiful story that brought me to tears more than once!
JulMac
5.0 out of 5 stars An Immersion Into Diversity and the Human Spirit
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2024
I was intrigued with this story on multiple levels. Too many positives to list them all. The author made the grueling challenges of taking the risk to head west tangible. The variety of personalities and perspectives is refreshing. In addition to a very engaging story I especially appreciated the in depth research required to describe the diverse Native American tribes, their culture and their interactions with the immigrants moving into their worlds. Thank you, Amy Harmon!
Judy O'Brien
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2024
This was an interesting take on the pioneers and the Oregon trail.

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