"The Shining Mountains is a sweeping historical novel that depicts the fictional narrative of one family caught in the crossfire of westward colonial expansion. Based on the true story of Angus McDonald, the brother of the author's great-great-grandfather Duncan McDonald, Alix Christie has drawn on McDonald family records, published accounts of the Nez Perce war, treaties between the United States and Native American tribes, as well as 19th century newspaper accounts. The result is a story of pinpoint detail spread across a large canvas. In 1838, Angus McDonald arrives at Hudson's Bay, eager to make a name for himself with the Company. But the life that awaits him in North America is beyond his wildest imagination. And it is here that he meets Catherine Baptiste, kin to Nez Perce chiefs. She and Angus recognize each other as kindred spirits, and they, with their growing family, move west through the Montana and Oregon territories, only to find the life they are building together threatened by the forces of colonialism unleashed by the Company. The Shining Mountains is the family story of individuals caught on the wrong side of manifest destiny"--