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Rating: 
Summary: Another for the "keeper" shelf.
Review: As I have come to expect, Ms. Aitken's characters are extremely well written and truthfully portrayed. Jesse and Kathleen could be the people you pass by on the street tomorrow morning, and I adore that about Ms. Aitken's writing. Because of my own family history regarding the indian schools, this particular book was both painful to read and liberating in that it is a story which deals with a very touchy part of American history in an open and honest way. You can see both sides and understand the difficulty with which the characters must deal with and overcome on their course to finding each other. Thank you Ms. Aitken, for replying to my email. I cannot wait for the next book. So glad to hear that it's off for review! And, once again, kudos on the website! www.judieaitken.com
Rating:
Summary: Another for the "keeper" shelf.
Review: As I have come to expect, Ms. Aitken's characters are extremely well written and truthfully portrayed. Jesse and Kathleen could be the people you pass by on the street tomorrow morning, and I adore that about Ms. Aitken's writing. Because of my own family history regarding the indian schools, this particular book was both painful to read and liberating in that it is a story which deals with a very touchy part of American history in an open and honest way. You can see both sides and understand the difficulty with which the characters must deal with and overcome on their course to finding each other. Thank you Ms. Aitken, for replying to my email. I cannot wait for the next book. So glad to hear that it's off for review! And, once again, kudos on the website! www.judieaitken.com
Rating:
Summary: Another fabulous read
Review: In DISTANT ECHOES we have another outstanding read by Judie Aitken. Jesse Spotted Horse is a wonderful intelligent caring hero and Kathleen is wonderful to watch as she grows from a repressed spinster into an open loving woman. The story of the off rez Indian Schools is a painful chapter in our history and Ms Aitken manages to bring that pain to life without ever getting preachy or maudlin. One of the best things about her books is the fact we can learn more about the Native American experience as well as enjoy deeply touching romances. Another for my keeper shelf. You can't go wrong with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Both heartbreaking and heartwarming...
Review: Kathleen Prescott is NOT happy when the school board outvotes her to allow Jesse Spotted Horse access to her inheritance, the Dubois Military Academy, formerly the Dubois Indian School. Afraid that Mr. Spotted Horse will bring bad publicity to the school, Kathleen is determined to be uncooperative with his research and intention to film a documentary revealing the so-called truth about the Indian schools. She refuses to believe her ancestors could have abused the Indian children as he claims. In order to prove her point, Kathleen does finally agree to help Spotted Horse go through the school's records. Little does she realize how close she and the modern day Lakota warrior will become. Jesse Spotted Horse is a man on a mission. When the funding comes through to film his documentary about the tragic circumstances of the Indian schools, he naturally picks Dubois Military Academy as the most likely to research. He has promised his grandmother he'll uncover the truth about what really happened to their ancestors who attended the school. Jesse doesn't expect the prim and proper Kathleen Prescott to be so defensive about her great-great grandfather, the Reverend Providence Divine, founder of Dubois. Can she be so blind to the facts in front of her that the Indian children were forced into the white man's world, far different from what she's been led to believe? As Jesse sets up a scene in the Dubois barn for the film, having somehow talked Kathleen into participating, a mysterious fire breaks out, and dense smoke surrounds the two. When the smoke clears, they find themselves transported back in time to 1886 Dubois. Will the culture shock and reality of the times pull these two closer together, or tear them further apart? And how will they get back to their own time? Kathleen and Jesse are perfect foils for each other, however, I found Kathleen more suited to Victorian times than modern. She dresses and acts the part, which makes it fairly easy for her to adjust to the customs of 1886. Jesse, too, seems to accept his fate fairly easily. I had to take into consideration all of the research he had done, and surmise that he was prepared to suffer indignities in order to survive. Ms. Aitken also creates a secondary cast of characters varying from very naive to very nasty. Dark secrets, betrayals, and greed abound. I have to say DISTANT ECHOES is one of the more emotional reads I've come across in a very long time. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are heartbreaking, as is most of the story. Ms. Aitken, herself a Native American, writes with an intensity rarely found in most Native American romances. Thankfully, she inserts some humor where needed so as not to bog the reader down with overwhelming sadness. I recommend DISTANT ECHOES as a heartfelt treatise on the injustices served the Native American people during the 1800's. That said, I will warn readers that this is not an easy tale to read. Be sure to have a box of tissues handy -- especially toward the end.
Rating:
Summary: Both heartbreaking and heartwarming...
Review: Kathleen Prescott is NOT happy when the school board outvotes her to allow Jesse Spotted Horse access to her inheritance, the Dubois Military Academy, formerly the Dubois Indian School. Afraid that Mr. Spotted Horse will bring bad publicity to the school, Kathleen is determined to be uncooperative with his research and intention to film a documentary revealing the so-called truth about the Indian schools. She refuses to believe her ancestors could have abused the Indian children as he claims. In order to prove her point, Kathleen does finally agree to help Spotted Horse go through the school's records. Little does she realize how close she and the modern day Lakota warrior will become. Jesse Spotted Horse is a man on a mission. When the funding comes through to film his documentary about the tragic circumstances of the Indian schools, he naturally picks Dubois Military Academy as the most likely to research. He has promised his grandmother he'll uncover the truth about what really happened to their ancestors who attended the school. Jesse doesn't expect the prim and proper Kathleen Prescott to be so defensive about her great-great grandfather, the Reverend Providence Divine, founder of Dubois. Can she be so blind to the facts in front of her that the Indian children were forced into the white man's world, far different from what she's been led to believe? As Jesse sets up a scene in the Dubois barn for the film, having somehow talked Kathleen into participating, a mysterious fire breaks out, and dense smoke surrounds the two. When the smoke clears, they find themselves transported back in time to 1886 Dubois. Will the culture shock and reality of the times pull these two closer together, or tear them further apart? And how will they get back to their own time? Kathleen and Jesse are perfect foils for each other, however, I found Kathleen more suited to Victorian times than modern. She dresses and acts the part, which makes it fairly easy for her to adjust to the customs of 1886. Jesse, too, seems to accept his fate fairly easily. I had to take into consideration all of the research he had done, and surmise that he was prepared to suffer indignities in order to survive. Ms. Aitken also creates a secondary cast of characters varying from very naive to very nasty. Dark secrets, betrayals, and greed abound. I have to say DISTANT ECHOES is one of the more emotional reads I've come across in a very long time. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are heartbreaking, as is most of the story. Ms. Aitken, herself a Native American, writes with an intensity rarely found in most Native American romances. Thankfully, she inserts some humor where needed so as not to bog the reader down with overwhelming sadness. I recommend DISTANT ECHOES as a heartfelt treatise on the injustices served the Native American people during the 1800's. That said, I will warn readers that this is not an easy tale to read. Be sure to have a box of tissues handy -- especially toward the end.
Rating:
Summary: Romance reader
Review: The Brookstone Foundation provides a $2.5 million grant to movie director Jesse Spotted Horse to film a documentary on the "Stolen Children, Stolen Culture: The Story of the off-Reservation Schools". To fulfill a promise he made to Grandma Boo to find what happened to her relative Tokalu Sapa at the DuBois Indian School, Jesse obtains permission to film at the now closed school, whose museum is part of the Dubois Academy. Jesse meets the museum curator Kathleen Prescott whose family goes back several generations to when the founder ran the school. She believes her ancestors were caring individuals trying to help while he feels that they destroyed families and individuals. When they begin filming, suddenly smoke breaks out. When it clears the two combatants find they somehow are back in 1886 where both will learn the truth about the salad days of the DuBois Indian School even as they fall in love with one another. This engaging time travel romance is at its best during the squabbles over what happened as handed down by generation to generation by the lead protagonists' respective families. As Jesse and Kathleen observe the truth, their misconceptions seem foolish, adding to a historiographic feel to the plot. Though the time travel device remains shaky, the use provides the audience with a deep look at a questionable practice from a bygone era. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A sweet romance. Will earn a special place in many hearts.
Review: Truth causes contraversy, especially when it's been buried for decades. Jesse Spotted Horse promised to bring the truth about the Indian Schools to light, but Kathleen Prescott wants to be able to believe that there's no truth to be found. Jesse makes Kathleen face two things; her ancestors may not be as spotless as she believed, and she is attracted to someone she should not be. When the past reaches out and draws them into itself, there are no more choices. Truth is all their is, and they have to rely on each other to survive. Lost in the past, Jesse and Kathleen find out that things were neither as good or bad as either believed. They also realize they can't lie about what they feel for each other. Together they will learn much about their ancestors and themselves as they take the journey to the future. *** Distant Echoes is a sweet romance that has lessons about prejuidice and the worth of nonconformity. Here is a book that will earn a special place in many hearts. *** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
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