River of Red Gold

Rating:
Summary: Well written, a must for any student of California history.
Review: As a great, great grandaughter of a 49er (JOHN GARLAND RICKER) I can now more fully appreciate the absolutely deplorable living conditions in the mining camps that Naida so eloquently describes in her wonderful narrative. Now I can understand why he spent less than two years seeking an elusive fortune in the gold camps of the Sierra Nevada foothills.

I feel this book is a reading must for my daughters and grandchildren so that they too, can better understand and value their heritage

Carleen Leise, Shingle Springs, California

Rating:
Summary: A perceptive account of California history
Review: I was so completely engrossed in this story that I had dreams about it each night as I was reading it. I found myself charged to learn more about mid-19th century California history. I looked at maps, researched the history of Indians in my area, found web sites on the Donners. I also felt completely horrified, on a physical level, at Ms. West's depicton of how white settlers raped and pillaged the people and the land. I felt compelled to somehow change history...the mark of a well-written and effective historical novel.

I also appreciated the author's choice to present her perspective of events from women's points of view (not to mention an ancient oak tree and the trickster, Coyote.)

I have a renewed inspiration to honor the land on which I live, and to honor those who lived here before me.

(a warning: be prepared for much sex...I started reading this with my young teen, and then opted out...he can read it in a few years!)

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding fiction based on CA history -- you are there!
Review: Ms West makes California history come to life in her tales of the Donner party and Sutter's gold. The characters paint a vivid picture of early California -- mexicans, indians, norte americanos, and the movement West. If you think you know California history -- let Ms West broaden you area of interest and pose questions for you to ponder. What a story -- difficult to put down once you read the first sentence. The characters may not be real, but you will never forget them!