Daughter of Divided Waters

By: Darcy Williamson

Narrated by: Susanna Burney

Daughter of Divided Waters spans over fifty years, following not only the struggle of one individual, but the struggles of the Shoshone and Bannock people through times of starvation, wars and betrayal.

Born in the early 1840s, to a trapper father and a Northern Shoshone mother, Emily navigates between two worlds. As a child she had the freedom to race bareback across the Fort Hall bottomlands, towards the towering, snowcapped Hoary Headed Fathers. The Season of the Snowy Moons were spent in the warmth and comfort of her mother's lodge, However, the Ward Massacre, which took place on the Oregon Trail between Fort Hall and Fort Boise was just the beginning of drastic changes in young Emily and her mother's lives.

After the tragic death of her mother, a young adult Emily moved to her aunt Sara's home in Canemah, Oregon. There, she learned social graces and how to dress in the latest fashion while attempting to win the heart of the man she loved. Her native heritage got in the way and her heart was broken. Leaving behind an illegitimate child, Emily returns to the land of her birth. But her story has just begun.

©2025 Darcy J. Williamson (P)2025 Darcy J. Williamson

WOW!! What a read!! (or is it a listen)

I read Daughter of Divided Waters, the book, earlier this summer and simply could not put it down. Over the last couple of days, I listened to the audio version, read by Susanna Burney. She did an excellent job of reading this well written and researched book. Hearing the story elicited so much more emotion. I felt like I was living life with its hardships and joys right along with Emily Gray. While the story of Emily's life is fictional, the fiction is woven into the well researched history and geographical regions of southern Idaho which were the Shoshone Indians life and land. Emily was a strong and determined woman who possessed many talents and and survival skills which increased as she grew into womanhood. The book has had a profound effect on me as I continue to mull over the events of Emily's life and try to equate the plight of the Shoshone people in the 1800s to happenings today. I highly recommend Daughters of Divided Waters and also the prequel, Sisters of a Different Dawn. Darcy is an amazing author. Her research is impeccable. Her story telling is riveting.