I have been on a bit of a Western American historical kick lately. Growing up, I adored NBC’s Little House on the Prairie and still enjoy catching clips and episodes here and there as an adult (and, of course, getting nailed with waves of nostalgia). During the first few months of my son’s life, I binged Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman in an effort to find something wholesome and not depressing to entertain myself with while I was low on energy and brain power. I re-read Redeeming Love when the movie came out and then dove into Lisa T. Bergren’s Homeward series. When I learned Francine Rivers had a brand new novel out AND that it was set in 1800s California, I was delighted. It did not disappoint!
The Lady Mine was born out of a question: What kind of impact can one person have in their community? Traveling back to the American Gold Rush era, we meet Kathryn Walsh, a disgraced Bostonian suffragist sent West by her stepfather to claim an inheritance left by her uncle. It’s a one-way ticket punishment for the shame she brought to her upper crust family. We also meet Matthias Beck, a Southerner who fought for the Union and was cast out by his own father for it. Seeking to find purpose, he joined the thousands of men racing to California.
Calvada, California is nothing like Boston. Full of ramshackle shantys, saloons, brothels, and covered in mud, women are scarce, and the men are volatile. Kathryn resolves to make the best of her “punishment” and embrace her inheritance in Calvada, even with every man – Matthias included – telling her she’s in way over her head.
Rivers’ books tend to be heavy and deal with dark topics. I was pleasantly surprised that The Lady Mine was much less about confronting deep moral dilemmas and depressing circumstances and more focused on the community of Calvada through Kathryn’s and Matthias’ lives, as well as their romance. It has fun characters, a decent amount of humor, some solid plot twists, and a passionate love story. Kathryn is everything you want your heroine to be: beautiful, strong-willed, independent, smart, fighting for what she believes is right, and always standing up for the outcast. Similarly, Matthias is the quintessential hero: a flirtatious, roguish saloon owner initially misunderstood by Kathryn. He’s the man you want sweeping you off your feet, I’ll tell you that! But he’s more than just a pretty face. He’s passionate and devoted and becomes one of Kathryn’s greatest supporters.
Calvada and its townspeople were a great part of the story. Rivers didn’t hone in too much on supporting characters – just enough, in my opinion, for the reader to root for or hate them, without cluttering up the book with random people. She did an excellent job with both the historical details and the physical setting of Calvada, and I felt like I was really transported back to that time. As mentioned before, I do love that time period. The way people truly had to fight for survival and work for everything they had just intrigues me, especially in comparison to all the comfort we have nowadays (from microwaves to medical advances).
As a whole, I thought this novel was far less intense than previous Rivers books. Her writing style was simpler; her characters had dimension but they weren’t unnecessarily complicated or burdened; the drama was fitting but not over-the-top; the plot twists were perfect – not predictable but not ridiculously wild either. It was honestly the exact type of book I was in the mood for after feeling a bit “eh” over the last several I’ve read. I finished it in just about 24 hours and enjoyed every part of it. I 100% recommend The Lady Mine!
Jessica
Copyright Francine Rivers and Tyndale House Publishing. Image from Amazon.
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