Something Worth Doing Cover: Image of Oregon country, with a clear, teal-blue sky, a large single mountain in the background, and numerous trees and fields in the foreground.

Something Worth Doing

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SOMETHING WORTH DOING
A Novel of an Early Suffragist
by
Jane Kirkpatrick
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Number of Pages: 336
Scroll down for the giveaway!

SYNOPSIS

Something Worth Doing Cover: Image of Oregon country, with a clear, teal-blue sky, a large single mountain in the background, and numerous trees and fields in the foreground.

Some things are worth doing—even when the cost is great.

In 1853, Abigail Scott was a nineteen-year-old schoolteacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family, what she sees as a working woman appalls her—and prompts her to devote her life to fighting for the rights of women, including the right to vote.

Based on a true story, Something Worth Doing will resonate with modern women who still grapple with the pull between career and family, finding their place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices when competing in male-dominated spaces.

PRAISE FOR SOMETHING WORTH DOING:
“I have long admired Jane Kirkpatrick’s rich historical fiction, and Something Worth Doing is well worth reading! Oregonian Abigail Duniway is a vibrant, fiercely passionate, and determined activist who fought for women’s suffrage. Women of today have cause to respect and admire her—as well as the loving, patient, and supportive husband who encouraged her to continue ‘the silent hunt.'”
—Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love
“On the trail to Oregon, young Jenny Scott lost her beloved mother and little brother and learned that no matter what, she must persist until she reaches her goal. Remembering her mother’s words—the young woman who became Abigail Scott Duniway came to understand through observation and experience that law and custom favored men. The author brings alive Abigail’s struggles as frontier wife and mother turned newspaper publisher, prolific writer, and activist in her lifelong battle to win the vote and other rights for women in Oregon and beyond. Jane Kirkpatrick’s story of this persistent, passionate, and bold Oregon icon is indeed Something Worth Doing!”
—Susan G. Butruille, author of Women’s Voices from the Oregon Trail, now in a 25th anniversary edition
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REVIEW

Clueless Gent’s Rating

5 star rating

Something Worth Doing, by Jane Kirkpatrick, is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. The author had an agenda, and after finishing her book, I can say that she certainly stuck to that agenda. (That’s not a bad thing.)

There are so many ways that Abigail Scott Duniway could be portrayed. She’s had books written about her before, but as expressed in the Author’s Notes and Acknowledgments, Kirkpatrick was most interested in the private and family life of Abigail. In case you don’t know, Ms. Duniway was a nineteenth century pioneer in the Oregonian Women’s Suffrage movement. The book begins with Abigail’s family’s journey west from Illinois in 1852, and it takes us to just a few years before her death in 1915.

I think Abigail Scott Duniway would be pleased with the way she was portrayed in this story. Yes, it’s still fiction, but I’m confident that Kirkpatrick really captured the woman that Abigail was. In addition to being a women’s suffrage organizer, she was a devoted wife and mother. This was all captured very thoroughly.

Image of The New Northwest newspaper, first edition.
The New Northwest [Portland, OR], pioneer feminist newspaper. Image is in the public domain.
I’ll admit, I didn’t know who Abigail Scott Duniway was before reading this book, but now I’ll never forget her. In her lifetime, she wrote about two dozen novels and other works, gave about fifteen hundred speeches, and still had time to give birth to and raise six children, teach school, create a newspaper (The New Northwest), and the list goes on. What an amazing woman!

I enjoyed the author not pulling any punches. There were times when Abigail’s words were like acid rain, causing pain to anyone they fell on. There were other times when she was genuinely the doting wife and mother, agreeing with her husband on most things and trying to give her children opportunity. Kirkpatrick clearly portrayed all sides of this woman.

Something else I enjoyed was the level of detail the author used. For example, the chores of a pioneering farmer’s wife in those days were formidable. The author goes into stark detail, not only with what had to be done, but also with the impact those things had on Abigail’s mind and body. Just the act of constantly keeping the floor swept brought many body aches.

After the end of the story, Kirkpatrick tells us what was real and what wasn’t. For a book that had so many characters, I was surprised she only had to conjure three of them. Instead of taking the easy way through such things (by inventing characters), the author really did her homework.

This book was well edited, and it had a good pace to it. Since I didn’t know how it would end, I was able to enjoy the mini climaxes in the story.

Abigail Scott Duniway signing first Equal Suffrage Proclamation ever made by a woman. Oregon Governor Oswald West, who had signed the Proclamation is shown looking on, and acting President Dr. Viola M. Coe is standing near.
Abigail Scott Duniway signing first Equal Suffrage Proclamation ever made by a woman. Oregon Governor Oswald West, who had signed the Proclamation is shown looking on, and acting President Dr. Viola M. Coe is standing near. Image is in the public domain.

This book is not only for women. This book is for all Americans. It provides great insight to the women’s suffrage movement in the West, as well as a woman who dedicated her life to it.

Additional Information:

Wikipedia has a nice writeup of Abigail Scott Duniway. This photo is of her signing the bill she dedicated her life to passing. The signing took place in her home, and the table being used is the same one that she wrote her many books and speeches at.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Image of starry sunset sky over the mountains - Notable Quotable: "Some things are worth doing regardless of how they turn out." #SomethingWorthDoing by JANE KIRKPATRICK

About
the Author

Jane Kirkpatrick Author Photo

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, including One More River to Cross, Everything She Didn’t Say, All Together in One Place, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center.

Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Caesar.

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS!
1st: Copy of Something Worth Doing + Oregon Map Bag
+ $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card;

2nd and 3rd: Copy of Something Worth Doing
+ $10 Barnes and Noble Gift Card.

SEPTEMBER 15-25, 2020
(US ONLY)
Something Worth Doing tour giveaway graphic. Prizes to be awarded precede this image in the post text.
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY
Or, visit the blogs directly:
9/15/20
Character Interview
9/15/20
BONUS Post
9/16/20
Review
9/17/20
Excerpt
9/18/20
Review
9/19/20
Author Interview
9/20/20
Scrapbook Page
9/21/20
Review
9/22/20
Deleted Scene
9/22/20
BONUS Post
9/23/20
Review
9/24/20
BONUS Review
9/24/20
Review
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