Themes: Poignant themes permeate Where the Lost Wander and include themes such as survival, persistence, determination, courage, living with mixed heritage, prejudice, racism, family loyalty, and community. The hardships they face are not treated lightly and the author creates a realistic and harsh picture of pioneer trail life. As you can see, Where the Lost Wander is much more than a romance as they deal with significant threats and compelling personal challenges. John works toward living authentically in a world with his mixed heritage and Naomi is concerned with the safety of her family and her own survival. Because John is half Pawnee and half white, he and Naomi struggle to understand each other and to navigate both cultures. John is quiet, hardworking, and introspective while Naomi is an artist, dreamer, and survivor. Because I read an ARC, the prologue may be changed before final printing.Ĭharacters: Naomi and John are well-drawn, likable, strong-willed, and have great chemistry. If you skip it, you can always return to it when you arrive at that point in the story because it does add some details to the event. In one way, reading the Prologue will give you a good preview of the intensity of the book’s content. I’m not sure if it would be better to begin with Chapter One and skip the Prologue or not. So while I was reading, I was anxiously anticipating this event. It is a spoiler for one of the main tragic events in the story. Prologue: I have mixed feelings about the Prologue. It’s more about their enduring love, faith in each other, survival, and hope for a bright future. Romance plays a part in the narrative but it is not the main focus of the story. Where the Lost Wander consists of a significant amount of trauma, challenge, endurance, survival, and hardship. Romance connotes a lighter and happily-ever-after story in which romance is the main focus. Genre: Where the Lost Wander is shelved as a western romance however, I might tweak that and categorize it as a love story. Don’t miss the author’s notes detailing her own family history and the real characters upon which this story is based. but it is also incredibly sad and difficult to read in places. A page-turner, Where the Lost Wander is filled with historical details and establishes a strong sense of place…. Writing: If you’ve read From Sand and Ash (a favorite read) or What the Wind Knows, by Amy Harmon, you know that Harmon’s stories are beautifully written.

Where the lost wander a novel