Leaving Eldorado - Softcover

Mazzio, Joann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0544336135 ISBN 13: 9780544336131

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2014

Synopsis

Maude must fend for herself in the mining town of Eldorado, New Mexico, after her mother dies and her father's "gold fever" inspires him to take off for the Yukon. Her strong desire to leave the frontier town and become an artist makes her take a job in a boarding house. But young women on their own with no money in the 1890s are not only frowned upon, they are looked at with scorn and suspicion. For Maude, whose strong will tends to get her in trouble, her new life can seem downright unbearable. Luckily, the few special friendships she does form help her achieve her dream.

About this title

About the Author:

Joann Mazzio is also the author of The One Who Came Back and a Robert and Charlotte Barron Fellow of the American Antiquarian Society. She lives in Silver City, New Mexico.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7-10 Up-- Maude Brannigan is 14 when her father leaves her in the mining camp at Eldorado, New Mexico, to pursue his dreams in the gold camps of the Yukon. Maude, completely alone, dreams of becoming an artist, but knows that the lot of women in the 1890s is to marry and bear children. She gets a job in a boarding house, where she meets silent Our Annie, an Apache girl who works with her; Katy Gynne, a local teacher; and Venus Adonna, a "soiled dove." Encouraged by Katy and Venus, she refuses a proposal of marriage from a local rancher and goes on to pursue a career in painting. A definite feminist point of view gives an interesting twist to this historical coming-of-age story. The teacher and the prostitute show this naive girl that men do not have to rule her life and that women have potential for greatness. Written in the form of letters addressed to her dead mother, Maude tells a tale of the time when Indians were considered unfeeling animals and the Chinese not real people but heathens. The setting is realistic, but several characters are stereotyped: the good-hearted lady of the evening and the hard-hearted boarding house owner, Mrs. Steckler. There are amazing plot twists that work in Maude's favor--a fire in the boarding house at an opportune time that leads to the discovery of Our Annie's saving of gold dust and a chance encounter with a painting instructor--but overall this is a fast-moving adventure. --Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0544336135
• ISBN 13: 9780544336131
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176