Unflinching and plainspoken, Tessa Swan is not your typical 18th-century woman. Born and bred on the western Virginia frontier along with her five brothers, she is a force to be reckoned with. Quiet and courageous, Clay Tygart is not your typical 18th-century man. Raised by Lenape Indians, he returns a hero from the French and Indian War to the fort that bears his name, bringing with him Tessa's long-lost friend, Keturah, a redeemed Indian captive like himself. Determined to avoid any romantic entanglements as fort commander, Clay remains aloof whenever he encounters the lovely Tessa. But when harm befalls Tessa, his hand--and heart--are forced, leading to one very private and one very public reckoning. Intense, evocative, and laced with intricate historical details that bring the past to life, An Uncommon Woman will transport you to the picturesque and dangerous western Virginia mountains of 1770.
★★★1/2
In 1770 West Virginia, Tessa Swan is a strong frontierswoman. Though she was born into this hardscrabble life among forts and sometimes hostile natives, and knows nothing else, her heart secretly pines for the finer things in life --- a pretty house full of luxury goods, plenty of the best foods to eat, and loads of fine clothes to choose from... though for the time being, she'd settle for just one nice petticoat.
Meanwhile, there's Clay Tygart, a man who constantly walks between two worlds. Born to white parents, captured and raised by Native Americans, then later released and taken in by a Quaker family to re-learn "English" ways, Clay has never felt entirely at home in either direction. Unlike Tessa, Clay has little to no interest in a life cluttered up by "finer things". Having been among the circles of Philadelphia's wealthy elite, Clay finds that world too stifling, a "civilized lethargy" he calls it. Give him the wide outdoors and a solid day's work any day (though he admits the food options in the city are pretty great). Clay also appreciates that out in the wild frontier, there's better chance of keeping his friends Mattie and Jude, former slaves, safe.
Returning home from the Seven Years' War, Tygart is making his way to Tessa's neighborhood to take command of the fort that bears his name (though he's never seen it before). With him is Tessa's childhood friend, Keturah, who was captured by a local tribe over a decade earlier and was only recently discovered. Though Keturah's old community is overjoyed (for the most part) to see her, catching up is a little difficult, as she remembers almost nothing of her native English. Luckily, Clay speaks the language of the Lenape tribe who captured her all those years ago. While Tessa is thrilled to have her friend back, in any capacity, she also fears for Keturah in the presence of Tessa's older brother, Jasper, who has held a prejudice of natives (or anyone associated with them, apparently) since his father was killed during an Indian raid several years earlier. Jasper sees Keturah as "more Indian than not now" and continually pushes for her to return to her captors. Tessa is nervous for the rage that might boil up in him should Keturah decide to stay.
An Uncommon Woman opens on a pretty exciting scene with our MC on a river raft trying to escape a few Native American braves she believes are pursuing her and her brother. The way Frantz sets up the scene somewhat brought to mind the classic western How The West Was Won. Opening a story on a scene like that, one can only hope for such excitement to carry on throughout the entire novel, but it didn't really work out that way. Although the story as a whole is impressively laden with details of the time period (historical, environment, etc.), the plot itself is a little slow-going. Much of the focus (in the form of conversations) reads as a mere recap of what happened earlier or speculation as to what could happen in the future. Between that, the conversations trickle on and meander around, the subject matter often leaning on the topic of who handsome Clay --- with his captivating heterochromia --- will take for a wife.
As the community sees it, the two ladies in the lead (conveniently) are Tessa and Keturah. Clay shows interest in both of them, but for different reasons. With Keturah, they share a bond in their both having been white children who were captured and raised by Native Americans. Keturah also happens to be unsettlingly beautiful. But with Tessa, Clay is intrigued by her quiet and bookish nature and he admires the side of her that is strong-willed, hard-working, knows her worth.
My heart broke a little for Keturah when details of her backstory and life with the Lenape people were revealed... so much loss and heartbreak so early on in life! But speaking of details, I didn't appreciate the spoiler on the back of the book regarding Tessa --- that particular event doesn't happen until near the story's end! Sloppy work there -- it could have just as easily been worded as something like "when harm / danger befalls Tessa"(I have changed it in the synopsis above).
FTC DISCLAIMER: Revell Publishing kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
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