Skylark, by Patricia MacLachlan, is the second story in the Sarah, Plain and Tall series. It continues the story of the Witting family that we previously met here. Patricia MacLachlan writes beautifully about the hardships of life and about the determination that is required to face the difficulties with grit and tenacity. Although the author does not skip the hard things of life, she writes about them with a gentleness that is full of hope. You will find yourself willing the characters to prevail.
After the closing pages of Sarah, Plain and Tall and before this sequel, a wedding has taken place. Sarah marries Papa. She chooses to leave both her extended family and the sea that she loves in Maine to persevere with Papa, Anna, and Caleb through the challenges of living on the western prairie. As this story begins, we find the Witting family facing a hot prairie summer that is lacking in rain. Drought has taken hold, and, therefore, water is becoming more and more scarce. The water levels in the wells are dropping. The ponds are drying up. And the river beds hold only a tickle of water. Because of this, friends on nearby farms are packing up all their belongings, forced to leave the land they love and the lives they have built to live with family where the rains have come.
Together, Papa, Sarah, Anna, and Caleb face heat, dust, and fire. But intermingled within the hardships are deep joys that bring hope of better days ahead. A calf named Moonbeam. Kittens on the way from Sarah’s cat, Seal. A surprise party with friends and neighbors and music. And always, the hope of rain to come and replenish the earth.
Will Jacob and Sarah, along with Anna and Caleb, be able to stay on their farm? Or will they leave the place they love like others around them? Read Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan to see how it all turns out. Although Skylark is my personal favorite of the series, be sure to start with Sarah, Plain and Tall. You can read about it here.