Tag: women

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True Sisters is a novel written by Sandra Dallas

L.M. Hosler

A Story of Struggles Survival and Love

True Sisters is a novel written by Sandra Dallas. While this story is not an actual true story and the characters are not based on real people, it is a story of an event in American history. It is based on journals, accounts and stories from the people who survived the hardships of the 1,300 mile journey across the United States from Iowa to Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the story of strong courageous women.
This novel is about the struggle for survival against enormous hardships. At the same time it is also the story of strong, courageous women from very different backgrounds who learn to love each other and form bonds as strong as any blood sisters, thus making them True Sisters.

The Immigrants

Ella Buck is a young married woman, who along with her husband Andrew, and her sister Nannie have come from Edinburgh, Scotland as new Mormon converts. They made the decision to seek a better life and follow their faith all the way to Salt Lake City, Iowa. Brigham Young has declared that the Utah territory will be the Mormons new Zion. They will sail from Europe, then go by train to Iowa where they are to meet up with other new Mormon converts.Ella is pregnant with the couple’s first child and Nannie is hoping to find a husband when they arrive in Salt Lake City. All three are full of hope and confident of a bright, happy and prosperous future when they reach Salt Lake City. But they have no idea what hardships they will face along the way west.

Statue Honoring The Thousands Who Made The Journey Across America

Annie and John Sully

Annie Sully had been given little choice about making the trip to America and the journey west. She had not converted to Mormonism and did not want to give up her own faith but her husband John had converted and he had made the decision to leave London and join the other converts in Iowa. Annie had been quite content with her life in London. Her father had left her a successful gentlemen’s clothing shop which Annie was happy to continue the business with her husband. Annie also had three small children and is pregnant with a fourth child. She is quite concerned with giving birth in a strange country while pushing a handcart across the country for 1,300 miles. Nevertheless, John has sold their business and even given most of their money to the elders of the church so that others can afford to make the trip also. Annie has made the choice to follow John against her better judgment, but she will face many trials, heartache and hardships along the way. But she will also find other women who will love her, and care for her and her family even though she holds steadily to her own faith.

Louisa and Thales Tanner

Louisa Tanner is a newly married young woman whose husband is Thales Tanner, one of the missionary leaders. He is in charge of one hundred of the new converts who will be heading west. Louisa feels she is very lucky to have such an important man as her husband. Along with Louisa, her sister Huldah and her elderly parents will be making the journey west. Not all of them would survive the grueling journey.

Jessie Cooper

Jessie Cooper and Louisa Tanner have always been good friends. Before Louisa married Thales Tanner, he had previously courted Jessie. The two friends did not let this come between them, because truthfully Jessie was happy that Louisa had married Thales. She felt that Louisa was a much better match for Thales. Jessie was sure that when she arrived in Salt Lake City that she would find a husband of her own. Jessie and her brothers Ephraim and Sutter had made the decision to leave their tenant farm in the hopes of finding good fertile land in the Salt Lake Valley. So they sold their small farm and belongings and paid for their passage to America. They met the handcart train in Iowa. Jessie and her brothers were optimist and excited about their future never guessing what hardships lay in store for them. 

The Journey Begins

Near the end of July 1856, the Martin Company of converted Mormons slowly started on the long journey. Everyone was in high spirits and excited to be on their way. Families would walk and push and pull their handcarts which held their meager possessions. Each person was allowed seventeen pounds to be put on their carts but along the way much of their worldly goods would end up being left behind.
The carts were made of green lumber and poorly made. There were no oxen or horses to pull the carts, they would be pulled by human power only.This is the story of these four brave, courageous women as they faced unbelievable dangers, heartbreak, death of loved ones and hardships on their journey. These women would have to learn to help, love and lean on each other. There would of course, be many other members of the Martin Company they would meet and help along the way but these four would become Truly Sisters for the rest of their lives.


Reasons I Recommend Reading True Sisters

  • I truly enjoyed reading True Sisters. I had never even heard of this part of our American history until I read this book. If you enjoy reading about history, this is a great novel
  • The book is well written and the characters well developed
  • It is an emotional story that will tug at your heart. It did mine
  • It is the type of book that will keep you interested from start to finish

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THE DAME ELIZABETH TAYLOR

L.M. Hosler

Born Beautiful

Some people, it seems, are simply born to be beautiful and famous. Elizabeth Taylor was one of those people.

Elizabeth Her Early Years

Elizabeth Taylor, was born on Febuary 27, 1932 in London. She was the second child of Francis and Sara Taylor, and was welcomed home by an older brother, Howard, who was two at the time. 

For the first seven years of young Elizabeth’s life, her family remained living in London, but as fears of World War began to look quite likely, Francis Taylor decided to move his family back to the safety of  Los Angeles, California. Sara Taylor had been an actress herself before marrying Francis Taylor so it was not surprising that after moving back to Los Angeles, she began actively encouraging her young daughter to seek work as an actress.

The Young Actress

It wasn’t long before Elizabeth began to be noticed and in 1943, she was signed on with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, which was probably the biggest and the best studio in Hollywood at the time. Liz was cast as the rich Duke’s granddaughter in the highly success “Lassie Come Home”. In 1944, Liz starred in another smash movie “National Velvet” in which she plays a young girl who works with a wild but gifted horse and enters England’s Grand National Sweepstakes. While filming “National Velvet” Liz fell from a horse and broke her back, but she was so committed to her work that she refused to allow this to stop her from finishing the movie. 

Elizabeth loved being an actress. She loved the attention, the clothes, the makeup and the make believe, where she could be whoever her character was at the time. At the young age of fifteen, she was declared “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”.  As a result, while filming movies such as “Little Women” and “A Place in the Sun” Liz managed to acquire a reputation for being difficult, demanding and needing special treatment. Liz’s face was the cover of about one thousand magazines.

Liz, Romance and Marriage

One of the things that Liz would become famous for would be her many romances and her eight marriages. When Liz was barely 18, on May 6, 1950 she married hotel heir Conrad N Hilton Jr. aboard the Queen Mary. They were divorced a year later. On February 21,1952, she married Michael Wilding, with whom she had two sons and whom she divorced in 1956.  Michael Todd was Liz’s fourth husband. They were married on Februaruy 2, 1957 and had one daughter together. Michael Todd was killed on March 21, 1958, when his private plane crashed in New Mexico, on his way to an awards banquet. After losing her husband, Liz found comfort in the arms of Eddie Fisher, who was married to her friend Debbie Reynolds, at the time. Liz and Eddie Fisher were married on May 12, 1959 and divorced in March of 1964. On March 15, 1964 Liz married Richard Burton, whom she had co-starred with in the film “Cleopatra” with Burton playing the part of Marc Anthony. The couple divorced, then remarried Oct 10, 1975 only to be divorced again in July 1976. Liz’s husband number seven was John Warner, who was running for U.S. Senator from Virginia. They were married on December 4, 1976 in a sunset ceremony on his farm in Virginia. They divorced on December 15, 1981. Liz’s eighth and final husband,  was Larry Fortensky, whom she met while at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1988. They were married in 1991 and divorced in 1996.

A Young and Very Beautiful Liz Taylor

Awards and Achievements

Elizabeth Taylor is also know for the many awards she received for her work over her lifetime.  “Raintree Country” (1957) earned her the first of several Academy Award Nominations. “Butterfield 8” was her second nomination while “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” gave her a third nomination. Liz won the best actress Oscar for “Butterfield 8” and another Oscar for “Who’s Afraid of Virigina Woolf”? In 1993 the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences gave Liz Taylor a special humnitarian award for her work with the AIDS Foundation. Liz was also honored by the Queen of England and was given the honorary title of Dame.

After losing several close friends including actor Rock Hudson, fashion designer Halston and her own private secretary, Malcom Forbes to AIDS, Elizabeth Taylor became the first great legendary personality to speak out on behalf on AIDS research. In 1985, she became the co-founder and chair of the American Foundation for AIDS research. In 1999 Elizabeth was awarded the Angel Award for her work with patients inflicted with Aids.

An older but still beautiful Liz Taylor

Queen Elizabeth Honors Liz Taylor

In 2000, Elizabeth visited Buckingham palace with other celebrities where Queen Elizabeth II honored her with the title of Dame. Dame is the female word which is equal to the male term of Knight. This was one of the highest honors given in Britain.

The beautiful Elizabeth Taylor legend will continue and Liz will be remembered for her many husbands, her films, the White Diamonds Perfume, her trips to the Betty Ford Rehab Center and much more. She should always be remembered for her beauty. Perhaps she should be remembered most for the good works she has done in trying to help AIDS victims.