Homestead by Melinda Moustakis
Anchorage, 1956. At the Moose Lodge, Lawrence and Marie’s eyes meet for the first time, and they are drawn to one another right away. But when they decide to marry, days later, they are more in love with the promise of homesteading than anything. For Lawrence, his 150-acre parcel represents a chance to at last feel at home in a world that has never lived up to its potential. For Marie, the land is an escape from the empty future she sees spinning out before her, and a risky bet is better than none at all. But over the next few years, as they work the land in an attempt to secure a deed to their homestead, they must face everything they don’t know about each other.
Homestead by Melinda Moustakis
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Will Marie and Lawrence build something new as the Territory of Alaska pushes toward statehood and inevitable change, or will they fail in their efforts?
Intense and wild-hearted, gloriously alive to both the intimate and the elemental, Homestead is an unvarnished depiction of a new state and of the hard-fought, hard-bitten job of making a family.
“Set in mid-1950s Alaska, Melinda Moustakis’ debut historical fiction novel, Homestead, captivates readers with the tale of two individuals, Marie and Lawrence, who settled in the territory for different yet similar reasons. Lawrence, seeking to escape his troubled past, was determined to own land, a dream rooted in his upbringing on a Minnesota farm. However, he carried a secret that brought him shame, one that he refused to share with anyone but haunted him in his dreams. When the opportunity to homestead in Alaska arose, Lawrence seized it and met Marie, who had relocated from Texas to be near her sister in Anchorage. Lawrence made a hasty decision to marry her, driven by his desire to fulfill his dream of homesteading. However, their marriage faced unexpected challenges and struggles that threatened their ability to love, trust, and respect each other. Will their bond survive the trials of homesteading?”
In Homestead, Melinda Moustakis chronicles the experiences of Marie and Lawrence as they navigate the challenges of homesteading in Alaska. The novel vividly portrays the dangers and fears of coming face-to-face with wild animals, as well as the excitement and fulfillment that came with Alaska’s statehood. Through the lens of Lawrence and Marie’s lives, readers are able to witness the hardships of the Alaskan terrain, the courage and resilience of those who live there, their struggles, tragedies, disappointments, and the dangers they confront each day. The novel also explores themes of loneliness, loss, sacrifice, and the numerous challenges that homesteaders faced head-on. Initially, Lawrence saw homesteading as a way to belong, while Marie saw it as an escape. However, as their experiences unfolded, would their motivations and perceptions of homesteading evolve and change over time?
