"Damaris runs away from an abusive father, with only the strength from her mother's love and two heirlooms, and her name. She must come to terms with her past, learn to live in her present circumstances, and trust her future to another Father."

Damaris runs away from home and her drunken father at the age of fifteen. When the opportunity comes, Damaris carries with her the strength of her mother's love. Two treasures hidden for years from her father her grandmother's lacy golden brooch and her grandfather's lovely watch are Damaris' only legacy from her past. That and her name. Her mother said it came from the Bible and had a special meaning that she can't remember anymore. What difference might it make?

At nearly fifteen years old, Damaris has never known a life other than the hard one she lives with her downtrodden mother and a father who's addicted to liquor. When her mother hints at the idea of escape, Damaris dares to think of striking out on her own to head west in A Woman Named Damaris by author Janette Oke.

Gee. I was a good deal younger the first time I read this ChristFic novel from one of my (sentimentally) favorite series, Women of the West. Now that I've reread it in a much different stage of my life, the effects of alcoholism and abuse in the story hit me in a different way. Just...gee.

Now, apart from Damaris's initial courage to leave home, her quiet and timid personality is pretty lackluster, even considering her background. As is the case in a lot of this author's novels, there's too much halting speech from the characters, with sentences constantly broken up by multiple dashes. (Perhaps that issue is cleaned up in the latest editions of the novels?)

Because a key theme in the story could have used a bit more development, it might send an inadvertent message that it's sinful to think of fighting back against an abuser. Also, some key plot points and people are introduced so late in this story that it dulls their emotional effect. Damaris cries an awful lot toward the end, but I couldn't feel those tears with her.

Still, I never forgot the significance of this book's title, which was a pleasure to see unfold again. Revisiting this rather simple novel was straight-up comfort reading for me. ( )

A quick read about a young girl, Damaris, who flees a home where her Dad is a mean and abusive drunk. She will find herself joining a wagon train West. She settles in a small town and ends up working 3 part time jobs and growing into a lovely young woman, who is still not real trusting of men. As the back cover states: "Ultimately, she must come to terms with her past, learn to live in her present circumstances, and trust her future to another Father". ( )

Damaris escapes from her abusive father with her 2 precious treasures that belonged to her grandparents. She studies why her mother named her Damaris, from the Bible and soon realizes that she must trust another Father