Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick is a fictional account of a suffragist that lived out West. I really wanted to like this book. A lot of time and effort went into researching this person's real life but the fictional account left me not really liking the main character. Abigail or Jenny as she was sometimes called seemed to only care about advancing her own desires and goals. She was seemingly oblivious to anything her husband or children might need or want. She was also downright rude to those closest to her, seemingly caring more about strangers than her own family. I have read other books by Jane Kirkpatrick and liked them but this one missed the mark for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Revell for my copy of Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick in exchange for an honest review. It published September 1, 2020.
What a wonderful book! From start to finish I did not want to stop reading it! I felt like I really knew Abigail, her personality, her preferences, everything. I loved her character growth, and the way she grew as a wife and mother, but also as someone who had "something worth doing".
It was fascinating to learn about women's suffrage, and I didn't know most of what they went through. It is so foreign to me that there could even be these restrictions, and it sure made me appreciate the freedoms we do have, and want to make sure we keep them!
I also loved the Oregon representation, (my favorite state!) and the descriptions of the various places they went!

"Some things are worth doing regardless of how they turn out."

Abigail Scott Duniway was a true pioneer, traveling to Oregon by wagon train, then blazing trails for women's right to vote and equality for all. Based on a real person and her life, Jane Kirkpatrick is just the right person to tell this very detailed story. A natural born teacher herself, writing about strong, intelligent and caring women.
Abigail grew up knowing how difficult it was for her mother, bearing several children and being responsible for running a household, the work, and what it took out of her. She also saw how the lack of any rights affected women, who didn't have the legal right to own anything, or even the rights to their own children. Yet she herself became a mother of several children. She was blessed to have a supportive husband who loved her and learned to let her have her lead, most of the time. She spent her life trying to right the wrong for all, to get women's rights. Women were the last to get the right to vote. She was an excellent speaker and brilliant writer of books and speeches. She led and taught many. Excellent, informative read. Christian Historical. #SomethingWorthDoing #NetGalley

What a life's work for Abigail (Jenny) Scott Duniway who worked tirelessly for women's suffrage in Oregon! With a houseful of children and a super supportive husband, Jenny was an independent woman who gave years of her life to gaining the right to vote for women.
Author Jane Kirkpatrick always tells the best stories about women on the frontier. She brings to life all the details of their experiences, including the pain and accomplishments. She's certainly done that again in this Oregon and West Coast based historical novel.

One woman's passion to give women the vote. All the obstacles she took with the stigma of being a woman, her upbringing, her relationship with her brother, and the support of her husband. Abigail Scott took the victory and the heartbreak of all women. An ever changing world back in 1853, Abigail saw the potential of women's vote. In many ways she sacrificed her own family for Something Worth Doing.

The history of this time is important for us to reflect and to hold on to the truths of liberty and justice for all. It is amazing the fortitude Abigail had but she also had the support of her husband. It was very well written as it showed the historical but all the sacrifices made by one woman for all women.

A special thank you to Revell and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick is a marvellous Christian historical novel. The tale is woven around the true life of Abigail Scott Duniway, a champion for women’s rights from the mid nineteenth century.
The book is absolutely fascinating, a real treasure trove. Abigail Scott Duniway was an amazing woman who not only fought for women’s rights but raised a family on the frontier too.
The reader witnesses the strength needed to be a female pioneer. Life was incredibly hard on the trail and it took real strength to keep on going daily.
Life dealt losses. Everyone works through loss differently. No one size fits all. You have to work through loss the best you can.
The rights for women consumed Abigail Scott Duniway’s life. She campaigned tirelessly, sometimes to the detriment of her family. When she felt like giving up, she pressed on. She was tenacious.
Behind Abigail Scott Duniway was her husband Ben. Her supported her and loved her always.
We witness the power of words and of education. As a young teacher Abigail Scott Duniway believed “This schoolhouse was her arena to awaken minds to the possibilities…” Abigail Scott Duniway believed in encouraging others to dream, strive and achieve.
Equality was important to Abigail Scott Duniway. She lived in a land that fought a Civil War for the rights of the Negro race – although the reality was they would still be fighting for equality a century later. She believed in equality for all. Education and voting rights were the keys to unlock this dream that all men should be free.
I found the whole account mesmerising and inspiring. It was a fascinating read. I shall let Abigail Scott Duniway have the final word:
“No one knows what they can accomplish until they undertake it.”
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Abigail is a strong character who has taken up the fight for suffrage. It is not an easy task but one she believe in. The author gives us historical facts that make the story realistic. I loved how Abigail stood up for the rights of women. It’s hard to believe at one time, women weren’t allowed to vote or have jobs that were considered for men only.

Her husband was a big supporter of hers and she raised her children with compassion. I think a Abigail needed to be reminded that her husband loved her and was a big supporter of her. It was hard to fight against the people who thought women should do laundry, wash dishes, cook and tend to children. It’s like she had no voice and she was determined to change things.

I admired her ability to stand up for the rights of women and continue on with the knowledge that she would someday make a difference. I love reading about the pioneer days and the hard work that was involved to survive. The author gives a beautiful description that places readers right there in the story.

I loved everything about the story and appreciate the lesson on standing up for your rights, I never want to take for granted the rights we have and never forget those before us that lead the way to more fair treatment of everyone,

I received a copy of this book from Librarything Early Reader Program. The review is my own opinion,

RATING: 2 STARS
2020; Revell Books

Let's take a minute and enjoy the prettiness of this cover! The colour scheme draws you, and gives off the "this is a historical fiction" novel. The tagline on the cover describing Something Worth Doing as a novel about " early suffragist" really tugged at my interest. This book took me a long time to get through as I had a difficult time picking the novel back up. The slow pace, and the characteristics of Abigail Scott Duniway really made me want to pass on this book. I found that the summary on Wikipedia to be more interesting, and has inspired me to look into one of Duniway's own writing. I am not sure if it is Abigail herself, that drags the novel down, so I am looking forward to reading One More River to Cross.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley and a paperback. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

This author understands how to take excellent research into a subject and turn it into a novel that both captivates and educates the reader. I was drawn into this book within the first few pages, and that interest continued all throughout the book. These characters came to life for me. If you like factual Christian historical fiction, don’t miss this book. It’s one of the best you’ll read this year.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

An incident in the book that happened to Abigail’s stepmother perfectly highlighted just how much women were under the control of men back in the 1800s, and really centuries before. The stepmother was a widow before she married Abigail’s father, but prior to meeting and marrying him she had a suitor who promised marriage. This man forced his advances on her, but didn’t marry her. She ended up being pregnant, but she didn’t know that before she married Tucker Scott, Abigail’s father. Because un-married daughters could not live in the household of a fallen woman, Abigail and her sisters all had to be married quickly.

Choices were taken away from them just like they had always been.

The best part of this book was the detailed information of how difficult it was for women like Abigail to continue to fight for women’s rights against the incredible odds and the incredible obstacles that were put in her path. One has to really admire her determination, her commitment, her courage, and her strength through the many years she fought the good fight. She wrote books and articles, spoke at gatherings, and had meetings with legislators and important influential men to try to sway them to supporting her cause.

I appreciated the opportunity to learn things that I didn’t know about the suffrage movement. Many of us had been well acquainted with Susan B. Anthony and all that she did. But all of these other women, like Abigail, who fought on state levels had just as much impact on eventually getting the right to vote passed.

While I admired what Abigail did, I had a hard time relating to her as a woman and mother. Too often I wanted a stronger emotional reaction to the internal conflict between wanting to be with her family and her need to go out and do what was called “her work.”

When she left to go on a speaking tour when one of her children was dying there were some logical, and practical reasons, for what she did, but I wanted to feel her heart wrenching as she made that decision. That didn’t happen at that moment in the book. Her emotional reaction was overshadowed by her thinking of the logical reason that she left. Maybe that was her way of coping, but it would have been more realistic to me if she’d had a longer mental debate with herself before landing on the fact that the only way she could handle the impending loss was to look at it with her mind instead of her heart.

Abigail Scott Duniway spent over 50 years working to win the vote for Oregon's women. Like many settlers, her family left the midwest to fulfill a man's dream (her father's) of a better life in the west.
Already a teenager, Abigail knew her mother, who was still weak from childbirth, was not in favor of the long journey. Within months of leaving their former home, Abigail and her surviving siblings will lose both their mother and an infant brother. And her father, following the tradition that men do not do well alone, quickly finds another wife. And then a scandal centered around that new wife propels Abigail to marry her husband Ben earlier than she wanted. (You will need to read the book to learn why). While Abigail would have liked to keep teaching and perhaps take up a career writing, she soon finds herself a mother of young children, moving where her husband wants. Luckily for her, Ben understands and even supports her position on women's rights. She is able to run several businesses, pursue writing, build a following of suffrage supporters. Soon she is speaking around the west, even working with Susan B. Anthony. Jane Kirkpatrick is known for her well researched historical novels based on real women who impacted the early days of Oregon and Washington. Kirkpatrick's writing sticks close to the factual truth, and that can be both a boon and limiting at the same time. In this book, the author covers over 50 years, and at times, the chapters seem to just be a summary of where the family lived, who died, what businesses were started, and what speaking trips Abigail took. Readers have to look beyond the litany of facts to see the story of determination and sacrifice. While the book was not full of the danger or action one might associate with early settlers of the west, I found the woman's tenacity inspiring. It is good to learn more about those who gave up so much so we could be full fledged citizens with rights to own property, pursue education, and, of course, vote. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are mine.

This was the historical fiction about Abigail Duniway who was involved in the suffragist movement in the West. This was such an interesting book for me and something too often I take for granted. It wasn't only the right to vote that Abigail fought for but also more rights for women. It was interesting to note that the pressures she faced are some that I fave today as well. Im not sure whether they are self imposed or by those around us but something to think about!

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the copy. The views expressed here are my own.

Jane Kirkpatrick never disappoints. She digs deep and finds brave, obscure women from the past and brings them back to life with a fascinating story. I found Something Worth Doing to be particularly relevant at this time in history. 2020 marks the 100th anniversary for the women's right to vote. It's easy to think that came about just naturally but in reality there were many women working to make that happen. Abigail Scott was one of those pioneering women.

Something Worth Doing is the story of Abigail Scott and her journey from young girl to suffragette woman. I have to say that after reading her story I don't think that I would particularly like Abigail. But I found her journey fascinating. Her story is full of heartache and triumph. She was an ordinary wife, mother, daughter, and sister but she had extraordinary ambitions and dreams.

If you enjoy historical fiction I'm positive that you'll enjoy this book. Jane Kirkpatrick has an ability to take the reader into the setting and allow you to learn historical facts while enjoying an interesting story. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.

Something Worth Doing
A Novel of an Early Suffragist
by Jane Kirkpatrick
Revell
Christian
Pub Date 01 Sep 2020



I am reviewing a copy of Something Worth Doing through Revell and Netgalley:



It was 1853 Abigail Scott was a nineteen year old school teacher in the Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. The problem was marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. After financial mistakes as well as an injury force Ben to to stop working, Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family. What Abigail sees as a working woman is appalling to her and she devotes her life to fighting for the rights of women, including their right to vote.





Something Worth Doing follows Abigail as she bears six children, runs a millinery and a private school, helps on the farm, writes novels, gives speeches, and eventually runs a newspaper supporting women's suffrage, this book explores issues that will resonate with Modern Women.






Jane Kirkpatrick weaves a novel based on the life of an early suffragist, who will will inspire you to believe that some things are worth doing--even when the cost is great.




I give Something Worth Doing five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This books reads like a novelized biography, and tells the story of real-life women's suffrage supporter Abigail "Jenny" Scott Duniway, a writer, wife, mother, and suffragette.

This as a difficult book for me to read, as I never really connected with the main character or completely understood her motivations as she didn't seem to have many close relationships with other women. Often I felt that this book told more than showed, and I felt like I only saw one dimension of the story. I think it would have really added to the story to include samplings of her writings that corresponded with the story.

Ms. Kirkpatrick is a master of writing real-life flawed characters that aren't always likable, in a way that rings true. I admired Abigail's passion for her work, and I liked that this book doesn't shy away from showing the cost of her choices.

Overall, this book was a struggle for me to read and I felt like Abigail's faith could be summed up into a theology of God helps those who help themselves. While I appreciate the history and research that went into this book, and I liked that it didn't paint a glossy picture of how having it all is easy, this just didn't connect with me personally.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Something Worth Doing, by Jane Kirkpatrick, is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. The author had an agenda, and after finishing her book, I can say that she certainly stuck to that agenda. (That’s not a bad thing.)

There are so many ways that Abigail Scott Duniway could be portrayed. She’s had books written about her before, but as expressed in the Author’s Notes and Acknowledgments, Kirkpatrick was most interested in the private and family life of Abigail. In case you don’t know, Ms. Duniway was a nineteenth century pioneer in the Oregonian Women’s Suffrage movement. The book begins with Abigail’s family’s journey west from Illinois in 1852, and it takes us to just a few years before her death in 1915.

I think Abigail Scott Duniway would be pleased with the way she was portrayed in this story. Yes, it’s still fiction, but I’m confident that Kirkpatrick really captured the woman that Abigail was. In addition to being a women’s suffrage organizer, she was a devoted wife and mother. This was all captured very thoroughly.

I’ll admit, I didn’t know who Abigail Scott Duniway was before reading this book, but now I’ll never forget her. In her lifetime, she wrote about two dozen novels and other works, gave about fifteen hundred speeches, and still had time to give birth to and raise six children, teach school, create a newspaper (The New Northwest), and the list goes on. What an amazing woman!

I enjoyed the author not pulling any punches. There were times when Abigail’s words were like acid rain, causing pain to anyone they fell on. There were other times when she was genuinely the doting wife and mother, agreeing with her husband on most things and trying to give her children opportunity. Kirkpatrick clearly portrayed all sides of this woman.

Something else I enjoyed was the level of detail the author used. For example, the chores of a pioneering farmer’s wife in those days were formidable. The author goes into stark detail, not only with what had to be done, but also with the impact those things had on Abigail’s mind and body. Just the act of constantly keeping the floor swept brought many body aches.

After the end of the story, Kirkpatrick tells us what was real and what wasn’t. For a book that had so many characters, I was surprised she only had to conjure three of them. Instead of taking the easy way through such things (by inventing characters), the author really did her homework.

This book was well edited, and it had a good pace to it. Since I didn’t know how it would end, I was able to enjoy the mini climaxes in the story.

This book is not only for women. This book is for all Americans. It provides great insight to the women’s suffrage movement in the West, as well as a woman who dedicated her life to it.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre to read and one of my favorite authors who writes this genre is Jane Kirkpatrick. I have read many of her books over the years and many like this one are based on real people and circumstances.
Abigail Scott Duniway was a true pioneer woman, she puts all her time and effort into women's suffrage movement at the expense of her husband and children. At one point she didn't see her children or husband for ten months and she really didn't seem to mind.
While I do admire her efforts into woman's rights movements and her contribution to the betterment of women I could not make a connection with her character.
I have always enjoyed this authors work and the historical facts presented in her books I just couldn't make a connection with the characters in this book.

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own

SOMETHING WORTH DOING is a well-researched, detailed fictionalized account of the life of early suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway. While she was an important part of the suffragist movement and someone who worked along side of Susan B Anthony, hers is not a name I’d heard before, so I was grateful for this introduction.

Jane Kirkpatrick’s detailed research is evident in the story, which follows the life of Abigail “Jenny” Scott Duniway’s life. It was as incredibly hard one, peppered with losses and rebounds, difficult pregnancies, and impressive personal successes. She owned her own millinery business, ran her own newspaper, traveled widely unescorted speaking on behave of the suffrage movement. If her father hadn’t pushed for marriage, I do wonder if she ever would have married, she was such an independent and strong-willed woman.

“But Papa married who he wanted. Men get better choices not because they’re wiser – but because they are men…and because they make the rules. Why is that?”

Something Worth Doing also does an excellent job of putting us in that period of time, and illustrating the difficulties women faced. Among these were complications with owning property, maintaining child custody in a divorce, marriage decisions, and really, making any decisions on their own. It was easy to see how at the time a very fine line separated women from chattel, and how all of it drove Abigail’s efforts. It also does an excellent job showing just how long and arduous a path it was to accomplishing their goal.

One aspect of the story that I found both interesting and educational was how the suffrage fight on the West coast different from that of Susan B Anthony and her peers on the East coast. While the East coast marched, protested, and were very vocal, the West coast preferred the “still hunt” . Abigail was adamant that they fight the fight in their own way.

“We Oregonians favor the still hunt, pressing prominent legislative men to bring the vote to the people, without flamboyance or efforts that might suggest we’d neglect our duties as wives and mothers.”

I can’t honestly say I always liked Abigail. But in fairness, she is often described as shrill by others, and she herself admits that she can be blunt, and that her sister’s touch is needed to soften her writings.

The book tries to show Abigail’s vulnerabilities – her wish for more support and involvement from her husband Ben (more than once does he make decisions without consulting her), her feelings of disappointment and abandonment as some of her family members move away, etc. However, as the author also doesn’t sugarcoat Scott Duniway’s choices and her justifications, I found it difficult to connect and empathize with her on a personal level. (I felt she made a lot of decisions without consulting her husband, also.)

While I admired the work that she did, I found it difficult to connect with her character, particularly as she grew older.

Something Worth Doing is a highly detailed, thoughtful account of the life of Abigail Scott Duniway and the trials she endured. It was a fascinating look into how far we’ve come as women and our rights, and left me grateful for these pioneering suffragists who started us on the long path to women’s rights.

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick is a fascinating novel based on the life of a real American woman. One of the earliest suffragists and a contemporary of Susan B. Anthony, Abigail Scott Duniway lived a remarkable life and this author really brought her story to life with amazing research. The time period and serious challenges faced were brought into vivid detail. This is an important story and I think this author tells it beautifully. This story is important to remember. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I love that Jane Kirkpatrick can find a historical person and tell their story with all the feelings that they would have while they were actually living these good things and bad. I really felt the pull that Abigail would have had when she wanted to have children but she also wanted to have a business of her own. I think that the author really showed how she must have felt and how her family felt during their lives. I laughed and cried and did not want to put the book down. This also made me want to know a bit more about suffrage and prohibition. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.