West of Santillane
by Brook Allen
Desperate to escape a mundane future as a Virginia planter’s wife, Julia Hancock seizes her chance for adventure when she wins the heart of American hero William Clark. Though her husband is the famed explorer, Julia embarks on her own thrilling and perilous journey of self-discovery.
With her gaze ever westward, Julia possesses a hunger for knowledge and a passion for helping others. She falls in love with Will’s strength and generous manner, but, like her parents, he is a slave owner, and Julia harbors strong opinions against slavery. Still, her love for Will wins out, though he remains unaware of her beliefs.
Julia finds St. Louis to be a rough town with few of the luxuries to which she is accustomed, harboring scandalous politicians and miscreants of all types. As her husband and his best friend, Meriwether Lewis, work to establish an American government and plan to publish their highly anticipated memoirs, Julia struggles to assume the roles of both wife and mother. She is also drawn into the plight of an Indian family desperate to return to their own lands and becomes an advocate for Will’s enslaved.
When political rivals cause trouble, Julia’s clandestine aid to the Indians and enslaved of St. Louis draws unwanted attention, placing her at odds with her husband. Danger cloaks itself in far too many ways, leading her to embrace the courage to save herself and others through a challenge of forgiveness that will either restore the love she shares with Will or end it forever.
“It’s about time you got educated about something you ain’t never had to think on none. You’re a planter’s daughter and privileged to live a charmed life, while us black folk is nothing but slaves and chattel to your family.”
I listened in silence, my mouth dangling. Papa called the black folk “his people,” and even though I saw them working, I’d never given them much thought. Most of them were grown-ups, and I lived in my child’s world, playing games with Ares and Virgil—sack races, hoop and hide, and such. They were my playmates and friends. I never thought about their skin color.
“Now you’re gonna head on behind the house and see what punishment Master Sticks done gave them because you’re about to find out that you got the long end of the pole, hear?” Megg gave me a nudge on the back. “Go on now. I’ll be there presently, but you needs to see what you done caused with your own two eyes.”
Nothing could have prepared Julia Hancock for what she was about to witness. Seeing her friends, Ares and Virgi, with bloodied backs and their faces in agony, was almost too much for her to bear. The beating they received because of her would be a lesson etched in her memory forever.
Meeting Reverend Mitchell years later solidifies her decision not to become a planter’s wife, as she holds abolitionist views. She stands in contrast to her father’s way of life due to her compassionate heart and gentle demeanour.
Julia falls in love with Captain William Clark, he is much older than she is, which is something of a concern for her mother, but Julia’s heart is set on the match.
Captain William Clark and Meriwether Lewis gained national recognition following their successful expedition of the Pacific with the Corps of Discovery. President Jefferson offered William the role of Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Louisiana Territory, and he accepted it willingly. Despite Julia’s father being worried about her living far from home, she will follow her husband wherever he goes.
Brook Allen’s West of Santillane recounts the fascinating story of Julia Hancock Clark, which is inspired by true events.
Allen, with her extensive research and masterful bard-like skills, has penned a book that is not only historically precise but also highly engaging. In this story, time fades away unnoticed as one becomes engrossed in the pages of this remarkable book. Allen has expertly resurrected this era and infused new life into the historical figures within the story. Once you have read this book you will never forget the name of Julia Hancock Clark.
West of Santillane beautifully narrates the life of Julia and is set during the early 19th Century. While her husband, the renowned explorer William Clark, is remembered for his accomplishments, the story of his wife has been forgotten, until this moment. Allen has brought the story of Julia to a new generation of audiences. Julia’s tale is as equally gripping as her husband’s, but in a sense, it is more so, for she is not seeking personal glory, she is just an empathetic woman trying to make the lives of those around her easier.
The issue of slavery is a theme that runs throughout this novel. Even though Julia held firm abolitionist opinions and tried to marry someone not involved in slavery, she ended up marrying a slave owner. Julia comes across as a highly compassionate woman. Despite being in the minority, she holds on to her abolitionist beliefs and opposes societal views on slavery throughout this novel. Julia is of the opinion that the colour of one’s skin should not determine their equality, and it was way past time that slavery was banned. Being aware of the danger of speaking out, Julia discreetly helps improve the lives of her husband’s slaves.
William’s treatment of York is completely repulsive and unfairly unjust and sickens Julia to the core. York accompanied William on the Corps of Discovery expedition. He faced the same difficulties and participated in the same adventure, yet upon their return to “civilisation,” he is simply seen as another slave. Julia finds it challenging to cope with how her husband treats his slaves. Despite William’s kind nature, he is merciless towards his slaves. He views them as mere property that should follow his orders, and William has no hesitation in using physical punishment on a slave he feels has crossed him. With this in consideration, there are scenes that are truly distressing and incredibly disturbing to read about, and York faces the brunt of William’s anger in the most horrendous of ways. When Nancy, who is also a slave, is returned in a terrible condition by Hinkle, William’s only concern is whether Hinkle paid the agreed fee for the loan of Nancy. He cares nothing for what has happened to her. He dismisses Julia’s concerns when she approaches him about Nancy, and has an attitude that he can do what he wants with the slaves that he owns. William’s character was very hard to like. It appeared at times as though he had two separate personas. Although I tried to like William for his good deeds, my disdain for him persisted throughout the novel because his negative aspects outweighed the positive.
Meriwether Lewis, who was William’s friend and co-leader of the Corps of Discovery, is a fascinating, albeit slightly flawed, individual. Like William, Jefferson favours him and promotes him as Governor of the Louisiana Territory. Despite his efforts to resolve conflicts between Indian tribes, Meriwether is hindered by individuals like the Secretary of the Territory, Frederick Bates. Bates is determined to undermine Meriwether and discredit him in an attempt to get him removed from his position. Although Bates is portrayed as somewhat of a villain in this story, he is just a small part of the political framework of that time. However, both depictions of Meriwether and Bates were fabulously drawn and really brought a great deal to the story.
Brook Allen’s novel West of Santillane is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings, so have some tissues nearby. This book is so captivating that it begs to be adapted into a movie. Seeing these characters brought to life on the big screen would be amazing. This book will definitely be remembered as one of my favourite reads of the year.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Ellie Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Brook Allen
Author Brook Allen has a passion for history. Her newest release, West of Santillane, spotlights history from a little closer to home. It’s the story of Julia Hancock, who married famed explorer, William Clark. Each character of this thrilling, adventurous period was researched throughout southwest Virginia and into Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota. It launched in March of 2024.
Brook belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. In 2019, Son of Rome won the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Award. In 2020, it was honored with a silver medal in the international Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewers Book Awards and also won First Place in the prestigious Chaucer Division in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2020.
The Antonius Trilogy is a detailed account of the life of Marcus Antonius—Marc Antony, which she worked on for fifteen years. The first installment, Antonius: Son of Rome was published in March 2019. It follows Antony as a young man, from the age of eleven, when his father died in disgrace, until he’s twenty-seven and meets Cleopatra for the first time. Brook’s second book is Antonius: Second in Command, dealing with Antony’s tumultuous rise to power at Caesar’s side and culminating with the civil war against Brutus and Cassius. Antonius: Soldier of Fate is the last book in the trilogy, spotlighting the romance between Antonius and Cleopatra and the historic war with Octavian Caesar.
Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her Antonius Trilogy. Brook teaches full-time as a Music Educator and works in a rural public-school district near Roanoke, Virginia. Her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and big, black dog, Jak. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.
Connect with Brook:
Website • Twitter / X • Facebook • Instagram
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