Zephyr Trails by Nicki Ehrlich

 

"She wanted to run... Run from her past - idyllic days on the homestead that turned to dust and crumbled over four years of waiting and yearning, only to be abandoned".

"I think I know now what that pull is... It's about going west. There's a freshness on the trail and I want to be a part of that new territory. It's calling to me so loudly".

Zephyr Trails by Nicki Erlich is set in the turbulent wake of the Civil War.

Blurb:

The fine line between friends and enemies blurs as Ellis Cady sets out to reach the new frontier of post-Civil War America.

After waiting out winter at the Cady ranch in southern Missouri, hope blooms in the Spring of 1866. Ellis receives news of a mysterious man arriving in St. Louis. Will she find her father alive and well, or finally put his memory to rest?

Grasping at the illusive promise of her father's whereabouts, Ellis is distracted by the intrepid trick rider, Jimmie, a woman who rides with Levi Jack's Wild West Exhibition. Then, talk of reinstating a messenger service akin to the Pony Express rekindles a faded dream. Since the war's devastation, important letters and messages still need to get through a Western landscape governed by Indians and outlaws. When an untimely epidemic threatens, Ellis finds herself back in the saddle, a young woman and her horse on a perilous trail.

Ellis Cady is an unusual, highly original protagonist. She walks the line between past and future, trying to work out who her friends or foes are, as she journeys westward in search of the truth, and of herself. A strong, complex heroine, Ellis is determined not to surrender to societal expectations. What's vital is that people close to her, accept her as she is, and support her refusal to conform or settle. 

"Maybe unseemly for a girl, but on the back of a horse or settled by a campfire, a spread of stars overhead - this was home to her".

Spring of 1866 breathes new life into the Cady ranch in southern Missouri. After a lingering winter of a total uncertainty, Ellis receives word of a stranger in St.Louis who might hold a key to her father's fate. Is there a chance that her father might still be alive, will she ever have her questions answered?

"Hope had turned into something more substantial and, most days, she felt certain her father had survived the prison camp".

Ellis is driven by hope and haunted by memories. When her path collides with Jimmie, a trick rider from the Wild West exhibition, she decides to combine her quest with a challenging job.

The rumours of a Pony Express-style messenger servive revival appeal to her sense of adventure. Ellis is drawn into a risky mission that would reignite her dreams and her purpose.

As a deadly epidemic looms and the frontier landscape is still uncertain, Ellis and her horse must once again brave the open trail.

Zephyr Trails is a tale of a Western ambition and adventure, but more than that, it's a deeply personal story of identity, resilience and self-discovery.

The author sensitively explores the themes of the lingering shadows of war, especially the then unnamed trauma of PTSD.

With rich historical detail and a deep appreciation of the natural world, Zephyr Trails will captivate fans of the historical fiction set in the States, coming of age stories and books with non-conforming protagonists.

Ehrlich's prose is both lyrical and expressive, shifting gracefully between frontier vistas and the raw intimacy of Ellis's inner world.

"Winter remained mild, as if mother nature offered an apology, balancing her compassion with the conflict's remnants of bitterness". 

The book has distant echoes of Little House on the Prairie, with its poetic balance of danger and wonder in equal measure.

Zephyr Trails is a compelling and heartfelt read, which follows a poignant journey through a fractured land. A memorable book which will stay with you long after you finished the last page.

This book is the second book in the series, and I find it might be useful to read the first book. I started with the second, and found the beginning rather confusing. There is an awful lot of names of characters, and their personal interactions that left me baffled. At some point, I stopped reading, thinking I should get the 1st book to understand backstory, then went back to it. 

I believe with books like this, it would be super useful to have a page or two at the start with the synopsis of what's happened in the previous instalment.

I picked this book on Netgalley, because the subject appealed to me. It also made me think of my dear late friend David, and the stories he told about his grandfather  who was one of the boys working on the Pony Express. 

Reuben sandwich

The first time I tried a Reuben sandwich, we were newly arrived to the States. My husband was then a visiting professor at Yale, we were young and free and enjoyed exploring the local restaurants, cafes and diners.
The name of that place escapes my memory now, but it was famous for its sandwiches and fries. My husband suggested that I should try the Reuben sandwich. "What's that?"
I had the first bite, mmm, so many flavours and textures, that's so tasty. It was grilled to perfection, it was gooey inside and crispy outside. And served with a pickle, that's even better.

To celebrate the 4th of July, I made this classic sandwich for lunch.

A good rye bread is a key ingredient in this sandwich. It has to be quite firm and not too thin to be able to hold together all those delicious foods inside it.
Now the dressing: there is a bit of a dispute as to which dressing is the right one - Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing. And do you choose corned beef or pastrami?

There are several legends on the origins of the sandwich: some versions claim it was invented by Reuben Kulakofsky, a Jewish Lithanian-born grocer who lived in Omaha, Nebraska, for his weekly poker game team. The other sources mention Arnold Reuben, a German Jew who owned Reuben's Delicatessen in NYC around 1914.
Whoever was the true creator, you can see the Eastern European Jewish roots in this recipe.

For a nice big sandwich you will need two long slices of rye bread, a few slices of pastrami, a good piece of Swiss style cheese (like Emmental), Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut, butter spread and a pickle.
I don't offer any exact quantities as you just assemble it layer by layer, then grill.

Spread the butter over one slice of bread, the dressing goes on the other slice.
Rather than use a plain unflavoured butter, I used a flavoured spread from Lurpak Infusions - Sea Salt & Pink Peppercorn. It has a distinct aroma of freshly ground peppercorns, and gives an extra oomph to the classic sandwich. It looks pretty too, with specks of pink pepper.

Add a good forkful of sauerkraut on top of the buttered slice, then add the pastrami and cheese, cover with the second slice, press together and put on the grill. Cook until the bread is crispy and the cheese melts.
Cut the sandwich in half, and eat with a pickle.

I found the Thousand Island dressing in Co-Op of all places. It is their own product.