Forgiving

by LaVyrle Spencer

Book Overview

When Sarah Merritt arrives in Dakota Territory in 1876, she steps off the dusty Cheyenne stagecoach determined to start this ramshackle gold-rush town's first newspaper. In Deadwood, her runaway younger sister, Addie, is living and working as domestic help at Mrs. Hossiter's boardinghouse, according to her letters. Five years after Addie's flight from home, Sarah is carrying the sad news that their one remaining parent, newspaper publisher Isaac Merritt,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515108030
• ISBN13: 9780515108033
• Release Date: February 1992
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A good book with a great ending...

"Forgiving" was certainly not my favorite book, but it was still an entertaining one. It tells the tale of a woman named Sarah. Sarah comes to the Dakotas to find her estranged sister and to start a newspaper in the mostly male town of Deadwood. Obviously in a town where the population of men is in the thousands, but is occupied by no more than two dozen women, Sarahs arrival creates quite a stir. Sarah is plain and unused to all of the attention, but eventually settles in and forms a friendship with the marshal of the town...the Big and Burly Noah Campbell.As time passes, their friendship turns into something more, but they face many obstacles on their road to happiness. "Forgiving" was a long book. I felt that Spencer could have shaved off a bit of its length and picked up the pace at times. I liked Sarah, but found her to be immensely frustrating. All in all, this was a good, comfortable read, but it just missed earning a spot on my keepers shelf. Either way, it is worth reading.

Sometimes forgiving is hard to do...but must be done!

I agree that this isn't a typical LS book- but I still enjoyed it and don't agree with the other reviews downing it. The setting is 1876 out west in Dakota Territory. Sarah Merritt has just buried her father and with a few belongs, including her father's newpaper printing press, sets out to find her lost sister Addie. She arrives in Deadwood- a minor's town full of nothing but mining bachelors and the sheriff Noah Campbell. She tracks her sister down living in the local brothel house, establishes a local newspaper with the help of a town drunk, and knocks heads with the sheriff every step of the way. Romance is begun between Sarah and Noah with plenty of ups and downs while Sarah tries to establish a relationship between she and Addie. Addie doesn't want see Sarah and Sarah never did understand why Addie ran away from home leaving no word- though she always did seem to be Father's favorite out of the 2. Addie left behind a sweetheart that still mourns for her love. Sarah sends word back home to Robert that she has found Addie- only for Robert to pick up stakes and come out to Dakota, too, hoping to find out why Addie left him. Just when things seem to be coming around the secret is out and Sarah has some facing to do about her past, as well as Addie facing her future. Though this one wasn't as powerful as LS's others I still enjoyed it and will recommend it to others to enjoy.

Memorable....

This one I liked, although it didn't get great reviews. This was an endearing story and the characters were warm and convincing. There were no husbands and wives cheating on each other, no spoiled teenagers to muck things up. Just hard-working people lucky enough to survive and find love.

Forgiving was hard to put down.

This book started off really good. However, it seemed as though it dragged on toward the end. It was not the best book I've read by Spencer, but it was good. I like the way she made the reader feel a part of the time by being so descriptive and also by letting us know what was going on in the time and place that this story took place.

A Heartfelt book about one woman's strong backbone.

This being one of Lavryle Spencer's earlier books it would be expected that it would not be one of the best, but this is the best book of hers that I have read. It is a story of one woman's (Sarah Merritt) courage and determination to uproot herself from her home after her father passes away. She travels across the country to a small town (Deadwood), to try and begin a new life with her runaway sister. And begin her dream of starting and running a newspaper by herself. Against all odds this strong woman came to this town and accomplished both feats and finding a love greater than any along the way. This one character (Sarah) brings to the forefront how with strengh and determination anyone can get everthing possible out of life.This story brought out very strong emotions with each new feat. Courtney Brittain (LEJN74A@Prodigy.com