Disclosure: I received this book to review; the post contains affiliate links. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Woman of Courage started out with a “Whaaa????” situation and didn’t stop there.  As Amanda deals with one unlikely event after another, I just felt sorry for her.  I must say that her deep faith and generous heart stood out to me; my heart would have been sarcastic and downright mean if I’d been living her life.   As Amanda explored the deep west, it was clear that her soul belonged there. I have mixed feelings about the history behind the missions and other ways that settlers tried to convert the Native Americans; most of the time, it makes me angry that the native people were forced into certain areas and made to accept the new way of life.  However, Woman of Courage gave me a bit of hope that perhaps not all of those people had a vindictive heart.  There’s also the little bit of conflict in my heart about understanding other religions.  How can God be the same as the Great Spirit?  Yet somehow this book helped me to have a better grasp on that whole concept.  Yes, I know it’s a fictional story.  This book also reminded me to consider the good intentions of the missionaries.   While humans seem destined to always want to control something that isn’t theirs, Woman of Courage sends the message that we can live in harmony with others and sometimes, even with ourselves.

The depth of the characters oscillated throughout the story.  While at times I liked Amanda, there were also moments when I became frustrated by her passivity.   The descriptions of the western frontier were beautiful.  I’ve lived in some areas mentioned in this book and thought that I would have liked to have seen it back then.  Well, perhaps without all the danger and warfare, that is.