Dandelions on the Wind

"She knew what it was like to set off for the unknown, albeit on a ship rather than in a covered wagon, and the feeling was no doubt the same -- that of a dandelion on the wind." (Dandelions on the Wind)

Maren immigrated to America from Denmark with the promise to bring her family to America, and dreams of marrying a man she thought would love her for who she was and not for her quickly failing eyesight.  She finds a semblance of family and "home" with an old widow and the widow's very young granddaughter on a farm in rural Missouri. She works and in exchange, receives room and board and the chance to be a mother figure for the little girl whose mother died in childbirth and whose father disappeared with one of the Indian wars in Arizona shortly after the Civil War ended.

All the while, Maren misses her family back in Denmark almost more than she can bear and constantly thinks of how she might procure a paying job to save enough to move back to her home country. There is nothing for her in America when she feels guilty for having to leave her mother and siblings behind.  Then one day, a man named "Wooley" shows up at the rural Missouri homestead, and everything changes.

Will Maren find all she seeks? Will someone love her in spite of her rapidly encroaching blindness? Will she at last discover peace in a family life that she has always dreamed of having? How will the old widow, her granddaughter and the mysterious and intriguing Wooley factor in to Maren's future, or will they not?

This novella was well written and highly engaging, with characters that seemed both realistic and deep. I definitely sided with the protagonist, Maren and with bated breath read through the novella very quickly as I desperately wanted to see what would happen next!  I am anticipating the rest of the novellas in this series by Mona Hodgson. The first book I had read by Hodgson, and I'm far from disappointed!  I give this novella 5/5 stars!

Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program for providing me with a free ebook copy of this novella, in exchange for my honest review. Please note that my review is solely my opinion.  If you'd care to rate my review on this novella or on many other books I have reviewed, please click this link and search for my name, Rachel Rudin. Thank you!