Prospects of a Woman is a historical novel, very much not a romance, about a woman who finds her independence in California during the Gold Rush. It’s written by a local author and the sense of place is solid all throughout the book, anchoring the story of an angry woman who feels incomplete for much of the story. While I did not like the main character initially, I did enjoy her character development, and I … Continue reading Prospects of a Woman by Wendy Voorsanger →
Content warning: References to child abduction, the sexual abuse of children, and sexual exploitation generally. It is all referred to in fairly vague terms and is not depicted on the page, but there is a lot of upsetting back story. There is also a subplot that hinges on infidelity. The Road to Ironbark is two stories in one. At the tail end of the Gold Rush, Aurora Scott, a respectable widow with a less than … Continue reading The Road to Ironbark by Kaye Dobbie →
The book Calico Palace is a romance/historical novel/adventure story that brings the California Gold Rush to vivid life with wonderful characters, a robust sense of humor, some harrowing tragedy (the Gold Rush was not a place for wimps), and a strong message of the importance of building your own family, being emotionally hardy, and seizing the life you want in a forthright way. It’s a powerfully feminist book and while some of the romance comes … Continue reading Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow →
