This is the first book I've read by Rae Carson and it certainly will not be the last. I loved her writing and the characters she created. She did not hold back in this book when it came the history and the events that occurred within the story. Life, death, violence, anger, HISTORY, all of these things came together to create a truly magnificent story.
“’This nugget is nothing, Lee. Even your magic is nothing. You’re a good girl and the best daughter. And that? That’s something.’
‘Yes, Daddy.’”
The story is told in the perspective of our butt-kicking heroine, Leah Westfall. We first meet Leah in the woods of Dahlonega, Georgia in January of 1849. The Mexican-American War has just ended a year earlier and one of the results of this was President James K. Polk acquiring the California territory. This would forever change the United States as well as Leah Westfall’s life. Leah’s parents are tragically murdered in the beginning of the story. After this event Leah’s Uncle Hiram comes into the picture. He intends to take over Leah’s home and life, and Leah sees that the freedom she experienced with her parents is quickly being taken away. The only way she can truly be free is if she heads west to find her best friend Jefferson and escape into California where her Uncle Hiram has no power over her. So Leah disguises herself as a boy and she starts on a journey that will be extremely tough but also fulfilling in Leah’s search for herself.
“So it’s now, with my own fire crackling, my lips greasy with the squirrel I just ate, and the night echoing with the distant yip of a coyote that I miss Daddy most. He should be here with me. We should have been on this adventure together.”
One part that really struck me was when Leah was travelling alone in the beginning of the novel. She is such a strong character and person but the reader still must remember that she is still grieving for both her parents and the life she had before. Rae Carson made Leah’s emotions so real and her grief actually made me emotional. A lot of this book made me emotional actually. However, we see Leah eventually find Jefferson and find people that she comes to care for and care for her.
“Trust someone, Mama said. Her dying words, burned into my heart. But she was wrong. When there’s gold to be had, you can’t trust anyone. Not a single soul.”
Leah has a secret power. She can sense gold, whether it’s in the Earth or it’s a necklace around someone’s neck. It is a dangerous ability for any person to have because of the lust for gold during the California Gold Rush. This lust is partly what drove her Uncle to murder her parents and she knows she has to keep this a secret from everyone, including her best friend Jefferson. Although Leah begins the story unwilling to trust anyone, she learns along the way that there are people she can trust. Her growth throughout the novel is shown in her interactions with Jefferson and the other families that she travels with to California. I loved the entire journey that Leah was on. It brought me back to my Oregon Trail days. I was OBSESSED with that game when I was little kid. My mom allowed me to play on our dinosaur of a computer for only an hour a day and Oregon Trail was my go to game. Rae Carson made me feel like I was there on the trail with Leah. It was so realistic and actually really historically accurate. I am a history major and I’ve learned my fair share of American history. It’s never been my favorite history to learn about but I’ve always loved learning about this era with the California Gold Rush and the move west. The scene that really killed me was the buffalo scene because that kind of thing actually happened. The measles blankets also really made me angry, because again it’s something that people actually did. Rae Carson does an amazing job of including real history in this story and it was such a breath of fresh air.
“Seems like I’ve been waiting for you to come around my whole life, Lee. But a man can’t wait forever and stay a man.”
I just want to say a few things about the relationship between Leah and Jefferson. First of all, I loved their relationship. They have been best friends forever but now that they’re older it seems like it could be more. Rae Carson made their relationship develop very slowly and that was so great. We hardly have any romance in this novel, it’s not the main focus and that’s what helps make this novel great. I totally thought Jefferson and Therese were going to have something and I was going to get annoyed but that’s not the case. I can’t wait to see where this relationship goes.
“There’s not a place in the whole world where everyone isn’t willing—no, eager—to give up a girl to a man.”
Can we talk about the feminist undertones in this book? Obviously, we can talk about Leah and her independence but we can also really analyze Becky Joyner as well. I even like Mrs. Joyner now! She was a you-know-what in the beginning but she really grew on me. Her unpleasantness stems from her husband, in my opinion. And once he dies I think she is able to find that independence that all women in their lives want. Leah’s transformation is really at the forefront of the novel but as a reader I also loved watching Becky’s transformation as well. She is a mother who cares only for her children and she does everything in her power to protect them even if that means to be rude and harsh to people like Leah. However, over the course of this journey Becky Joyner learns more about being a woman and that there’s more to life than being a wife.
This book is one of the only books where I haven’t been annoyed with a single character. Yeah I didn’t like some of the bad guys but they all worked in the story and I enjoy reading about them. I just really can’t wait to read the next book. I love all of these characters and their relationships with one another. I would recommend it to everyone, especially if you love American history and are in the mood for a journey because this book really takes you on one. I feel like I’ve written an essay but this book has really had an impact on me. My only regret is that I wish I read it sooner!
“I’ve never felt so far from God’s grace. I suppose I am a stranger walking on Earth, but I’m no son of God. I’m no son at all.”
Happy reading, friends! ☺
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