Publishers Weekly
06/27/2022
Pittman’s enjoyable latest (after The Lady in Residence) dives into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder. In 1890s South Dakota, Mariah Patterson pines after the handsome Oscar “Cap” Garland, but he’s carrying a torch for Laura Ingalls, who was Mariah’s schoolteacher before marrying Cap’s friend Almanzo Wilder. Mariah is courted by Merrill Gowan, an amiable but dull bachelor whom Mariah’s uninterested in until a fateful night with Cap leads her to realize Merrill might be the answer to her prayers. In 1970s Minneapolis, Mariah’s great-granddaughter Trixie Gowan works at a small newspaper where her Lost Laura comic about her adjustment to city life garners attention from national outlets. However, after Trixie receives word that her 104-year-old great-grandmother is dying, she rushes home to South Dakota. To make peace with the past, Mariah discloses long-held secrets, including her grudge against Laura Ingalls for her unflattering fictionalized portrayal of Mariah in the book These Happy Golden Years, as well as the truth about what happened between Mariah and Cap. Pittman’s appreciation of the Little House series shines through as she pays homage to the books while offering a fresh perspective on them, notably by imagining rich backstories for the minor Ingalls characters Cap and Mariah (named Martha in the original). Little House devotees will delight in this. (Aug.)
Fresh Fiction - Kim Roller
Allison Pittman’s Laura's Shadow as a unique way of showcasing someone very famous through the story of fictional characters.
From the Publisher
Allison Pittman is one of those rare authors who shines with equal brilliance no matter the time period she writes. Laura’s Shadow is the perfect showcase for the gritty nineteenth-century historical on the South Dakota prairie, and the 1970s Twin Cities tale of an utterly lovable newspaper cartoonist on a quest to unlock her great-grandmother’s secrets. Pittman breathes life and love, hope and heartache into a minor character first penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and then surrounds her with her own world, complete with generations to round her out. I couldn’t read this absorbing story fast enough.” ~Jocelyn Green, Christy Award-winning author of Drawn by the Current “It's a daring endeavor to take even a tangential run at another author's famous characters, but rest assured, Dear Reader, the world of our beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder is in more than capable hands in Laura's Shadow. Pittman weaves a wonderful dual timeline story showing how the past reaches out to the present, and how 'no man is truly free in whom a thousand ancestors ride.’” ~Erica Vetsch, author of The Thorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries “Laura’s Shadow is an expertly layered book about generational patterns and stories woven from love and loss. Readers will fall in love with the Gowan women—earnest Trixie, an artist pursuing a career in 1974, and her great-grandmother Mariah who comes of age in late 19th century South Dakota. Both eras are vividly painted and every scene engrossing. It was a challenge to put the book down at bedtime (so I just didn’t.) Another gorgeous novel that serves to further Allison Pittman’s reputation as a uniquely gifted author.” ~Kimberly Duffy, author of A Tapestry of Light “Pittman’s novels have the ability to immerse and transport readers to the past, and her latest, Laura’s Shadow, is no exception. Rich prose, lush descriptions, and astute characterizations combine to weave a story wrought from minor characters in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books, as well as a more modern counterpart. A nostalgic tale told with heart and insight.” ~ Anna Lee Huber, USA Today bestselling author
Allison Pittman has crafted a stunning book of two women, three generations apart, deftly weaving their stories into an unputdownable tale. Pittman writes gorgeous prose that tugs at the heart even as it fills the reader with hope. This is a book not only for fans of Little House on the Prairie but for anyone who enjoys a captivating story. I loved it! - Liz Johnson, bestselling author of The Red Door Inn and Beyond the Tides
Midwest Book Review - James A. Cox
With a very special appeal to readers with an interest in mystery, suspense, and historical romance, author Allison Pittman . . . deftly weaves them together within a Christian framework. One of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Laura's Shadow" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections.
