FOR CALIFORNIA'S GOLD.

Levy, JoAnn.

ISBN 10: 0870815660 / ISBN 13: 9780870815669

Published by University Press of Colorado, 2000

About this Item

First printing. Historically accurate novel which tells the story of the Gold Rush through the eyes of a reluctant 49er - a woman who accompanied her husband, but whose focus was on the survival of her children and her family, first on the overland journey, then in Sacramento and Nevada CIty. The author won the 1999 Women Writing the West Willa Literary Award. SIGNED on the title page Preface by the author. x, 268 pp. Very near fine in a like dustjacket. Seller Inventory # 67142

Bibliographic Details

Title: FOR CALIFORNIA'S GOLD.

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Publication Date: 2000

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: FINE

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

For California's Gold tells the story of reluctant forty-niner Sarah Daniels, a timid mother of four who, fearful of losing her westering husband, experiences all the desperation and danger, exhilaration and triumph of the nation's heroic adventure.
On the journey west-a perilous 2,000 mile gauntlet of cholera, insanity, and deadly accidents - Sarah discovers the courage and fortitude necessary to save her family on the feared 40-Mile Desert, where gold is forgotten in the struggle to stay alive.
In California, penniless and confronting the hard reality of survival on the frontier, Sarah is determined to get herself and her children safely back to Illinois. She opens her Sacramento restaurant with the help of songwriter and auctioneer Stephen Massett, one of several historical figures populating the story. When the devastating flood of 1850 destroys her business, Sarah moves to Nevada City, only to see it ravaged by fire in the following year. In devoting herself to its renewal, Sarah gradually realizes that this rough little town, and not distant Illinois, is home.
For California's Gold provides a fresh perspective on this time period, examining the harsh realities of the gold rush era through the eyes of a woman.

From the Inside Flap:

"Heroically assimilating the primary sources of the Gold Rush, JoAnn Levy has created a novel that speaks with the panoramic force of history and the intimate voice of private experience. Here in fiction based on the record is the story of how one woman, alongside other women, left home, crossed the continent, loved, suffered, served, prevailed, embraced life--and helped found a commonwealth."--Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California