All Together in One Place is not a romance, but an extremely well-done historical novel of the Oregon Trail. If you have read Western romances that feature characters walking the trail all day and making love all night, you are in for an all together different experience with this book. It’s not pure escapism; rather it truly lets you experience the joys, sorrows, terror and tedium of pioneer life.

The book opens in tight focus on one character, Madison “Mazy” Bacon, as she learns that her husband has sold her beloved Wisconsin farm and made preparations to head for Oregon, without consulting her. Mazy wavers realistically between anger and bitterness, longing to return to Wisconsin, and determination to make the best of it. As the couple, along with Mazy’s mother, journeys toward the trail proper, they gradually fall in with a group of fellow travelers, and gradually the viewpoints begin to shift from character to character.

Kirkpatrick handles this so well that I only gradually realized how the scope of the novel was opening up, even as the landscape the characters traverse broadens into the vast expanses of the prairie. These are real human beings, with flaws that you make you impatient with them, and insights that make you want to hug and laugh with them. The turning point of their journey is a sudden tragedy that leaves no member of the party untouched; they must then decide whether to continue on the trail or turn back.

Christianity is a basic central tenet of these women’s lives, and their quiet practice of it is truly inspirational. The core of spirituality is refreshing without ever becoming obtrusive or preachy. Fans of Christian fiction will find nothing to object to in this book, but neither will readers who do not care for more overtly religious fiction. I must also say a few words about the book’s publisher, WaterBrook Press, which consistently puts out beautifully packaged books. The cover image on this book is lovely, and fits its subject well; the high quality paper of the cover and pages make reading it a sensual pleasure as well as an intellectual one.

I enjoyed this book deeply; it’s the kind of book that makes you see, hear, smell and taste the texture of an utterly different time. I could feel the intense rays of the sun, taste the dust in my mouth, smell the oxen and horses, and hear the creak of wagon wheels slowly turning through mile after mile. And I learned a lot too – among other burning questions, I finally found out how Victorian women managed the call of nature in a landscape that lacked trees or any other kind of shelter.

All Together in One Place can be slow-moving at times, but it makes for a deep and leisurely reading. It ultimately deserves the attention it demands. My only disappointment in the book is that it leaves certain questions unanswered at its end; this is apparently part one of a trilogy, but I was frustrated to have to wait for resolutions to some of the more suspenseful parts of the plot.

All Together in One Place is a very well written combination of historical novel and women’s fiction, in that the central developing relationships are those between the various female characters, and the female characters with themselves. It’s fascinating to read how adversity tempers some of the women, making them strong as steel, while maiming or altogether breaking others. It’s wonderful reading for a leisurely summer day, and you’ll be extra grateful for your air-conditioning, ice-cooled drink, and water with no “critters” slithering around in it.