An Unoffical Queen

     There are prom queens, parade queens, and royal queens...some gorgeous and some not so much.  Let me introduce you to a queen with an extremely dominating nature, Emma Sweringen known as the Idaho Sheep Queen.  In the fictional novel The Sheep Queen written by Thomas Savage, you'll meet a woman who receives 2 sheep upon her marriage and ends up with 10,000 of them.

     Emma is the strongest character in this book set in the first half of the 20th century.  The story centers around Emma's granddaughter, Amy, who was given up for adoption 3 weeks after her birth.  

The Sheep Queen art journal page

    After both of her adoptive parents die, Amy sets out to discover what she can about her natural family.  She is able to locate a writer, Tom, on the East coast who actually turns out to be her brother.  Of course, Tom knows that there is no way Amy could be related to the family - she must want something from them.

     Denial continues to plague Tom until he finally learns the truth about himself, Amy, and their parents.  "The Sheep Queen", highly respected by the Idaho people she lived among, might not be so well thought of if they only knew the part she played in Amy's adoption.

     In my opinion, the book is an average read.  I had expected historical fiction when I ordered the it, and the story may be about his family since Mr. Savage did grow up in the west, and his grandmother was known as "the Sheep Queen."  Other parts of the story are also similar to his own life story.  Since it's labeled as "fiction," though,  I can only assume that it isn't a true or at least part of it is made up.

     However,  if you want to read about a fascinating female character, read The Sheep Queen.

     So, remember the ladies.

                       Carol