Publication Date: April 2, 2024
A young midwife travels west to the New Mexico Territory to care for women in need and faces dangers more harrowing than the ones she’s fleeing in this epic tale of survival, redemption, and love from Sara Donati, the international bestselling author of The Wilderness Series.
1857: In a bid to outrun her past, Carrie Ballentyne accepts a nursing position with a doctor in the New Mexico Territory. She knows the journey from New York to Santa Fe will not be easy, but she relishes the adventure. However, nothing could have prepared her for the wilderness she encounters. Its vastness and power are awe-inspiring, stunning in both beauty and brutality. To endure, she must learn to rely on her fellow travelers—and one enigmatic man in particular. As the small, tight-knit group tackles challenge after challenge, she feels her heart opening to this rugged land—and the people willing to risk so much for one another.
The trip west is only the beginning of Carrie’s challenges, though. In Santa Fe, she compassionately helps women bring new life into the world, making her beloved among new mothers. Soon, however, she realizes that her employer and his wife are keeping secrets from her, and she must ferret out the truth to protect their young daughter. But to save the little girl she’s come to cherish, Carrie will have to confront the demons in her own past—a feat that will take all of her bravery with the help of the man she’s grown to love and depend on above all others.
With its vivid descriptions of the breathtaking western landscape and its irresistible characters, The Sweet Blue Distance is the unforgettable story of one woman’s courage to heal herself, her family, and the women entrusted to her care.
The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati is a wonderfully written historical fiction with some romance and layers to the story and characters. Set in the 1800s, it takes us from New York to the New Mexico Territory. Several stories weave their way through the main arc and are threaded beautifully together—no detail is unimportant.
The Sweet Blue Distance is a lengthy novel broken into several parts. Each of the four parts held my interest, but I especially enjoyed the main story, set in Sante Fe. First, being introduced to the many characters was overwhelming, but I could easily sort through them once I was involved in the plot.
Carrie is strong-willed and a midwife set to travel out West with her brother, who will be her chaperone. Seeing the country through their eyes made me feel like I was there, especially since I’ve traveled by car between Connecticut and St. Louis many times.
There is a good flow to the story, with attention paid to the history of this time. The settling of the West is one of my favorite times in history, and the author did not disappoint. There were unexpected twists and turns, which added richness to the story. Watching Carrie and Eli get to know each other was heartwarming, and we got to know them individually and as a couple. There are moments of bravery, lots of midwifery and other medical issues addressed, skirmishes, businesses, different groups of people, leisure moments, and others fraught with tension.
There is closure even without the epilogue, and the epilogue was not what I had expected. It was better and brought us full circle. The Author’s Note and Glossary were welcomed additions. But I wish I had been aware of the glossary and its thorough and thoughtful explanations before starting the book since it would have been better informed of the meaning of words sprinkled throughout.
The Sweet Blue Distance is historical fiction with many characters and details set mainly in the New Mexico Territory during the 1800s. My interest was held as I traveled with Carrie as she made her new life far from her family in New York.
Sara Donati is the international bestselling author of The Wilderness Series, which includes Into the Wilderness, Dawn on a Distant Shore, Lake in the Clouds, Fire Along the Sky, Queen of Swords, and The Endless Forest.
