“Of all the things I left in Willapa, hope was what I missed the most”
From this opening sentence I was pulled Emma’s life, and the lives of her children and the community surrounding them.
‘Mending at the Edge’ is based on the life of Emma Wagner-Geisy., and her part in settling what is now Aurora, Oregon.
Emma and her husband Christian moved from Missouri to the Oregon territory to help create a christian utopia in the west. Called Bethelites, they lived in a communal society according to the Diamond Rule “a life lived for others”. Every choice they make springs from this motto, and ultimately results in the loss of Christian’s life (book 2) After losing Christian, Emma marries his cousin Jack. Theirs is a tumultuous relationship and after having a child with him and experiencing abuse of her and her children Emma realizes she has made a mistake and flees.
Book 3 picks up immediately after Emma leaves Jack. She along with her four children are taken in under the rule of “Father Giesy” the leader of the Bethelites. Living together with two dozen others , Emma attempts at first to blend in and do the things she is told to do but she is often accused of being high spirited and selfish. In reality she is passionate and engaging and above all wants to make a difference, to leave a mark on her world. She dreams of one day having her own home as a “place of rescue”. Unthinkable in a time where women are not even allowed to own property in their own names, Emma nevertheless plans for a “home for her heart, a safe place, a place to belong”. This book records her journey towards that home, and all the detours along the way.
I didn’t want this book to end. Do yourself a favor and take this trip back in time. Getting to know Emma Giesy is worth it.
Author Bio: Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and fourteen historical novels, including the popular Kinship and Courage series. Her award-winning writing has appeared in more than fifty publications, including Sports Afield and Decision. She’s won the coveted Western Heritage Wrangler Award, an honor shared by such writers as Larry McMurtry and Barbara Kingsolver. Jane is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an internationally recognized speaker. She and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 acres in eastern Oregon.
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