The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers
1875: Kathryn Walsh has no intention of falling in love when she moves to tiny Calvada, a mining community tucked away in the Sierra Nevadas. She has travelled to claim an inheritance from the uncle she never met, which includes an abandoned newspaper office on a main street lined with saloons and brothels and a mine that appears to be worthless. She has been expelled from Boston by her affluent stepfather. When Kathryn decides to restart her uncle’s newspaper in response to the tyranny of the neighbourhood miners and their families, she finds herself in the midst of a power struggle with some of Calvada’s most influential men. But Kathryn plans to keep saying and publishing anything she wants, especially when she is confident in her own rightness.
The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers
45 used from $9.27
Free shipping
Amazon.com
The new lady in town is of particular interest to Matthias Beck, owner of a nearby hotel and bar. The attractive and opinionated redhead immediately reminds him of C. T. Walsh, and he is all too aware of how harmful that family characteristic can be. Even while Kathryn may be correct about Calvada’s issues, her righteousness may also lead to her death. Matthias’s restless search for meaning, however, turns entirely into a matter of heeding the call of his heart as the dashing hotelier repeatedly finds himself on the same side of the problems as the feisty Miss Walsh.
While everyone in this lawless boomtown may be searching for their big break, it will eventually love more precious than gold that will bring them all together.
For me, the scene was a mining town in late 1800s California. It seemed as though I could hear what was happening in the fandango rooms and saloons and smell the aromas that were present during the day. The colourful environment and the characters quickly won my heart. Kathryn Walsh is a strong-willed young woman who has been sent to the West by her family for having convictions and speaking up, which were crimes at the time in high-brow Boston. She arrives in Calvada to claim an inheritance given to her by her uncle. The men of Calvada soon start betting on how long a lady like Kathryn will survive in the gritty town.
The only things she has left are a printing press and an unworked mine, and she soon starts to agitate everyone around her. Despite some sombre themes and some unflinching realities of Calvada’s existence, particularly for women, Rivers manages to write a book that is both enlightening and endearing. Yes, life was difficult. Yes, injustice did appear to follow the folks around. And it’s true that Kathryn faced criticism, mockery, and even threats as a result of her comments in her uncle’s relaunched newspaper. However, there were also sequences of optimism, happiness, and romance, as well as plenty of humorous moments.
