Chalk's Woman [Hardcover]

David Ballantine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

David Ballantine's debut novel Chalk's Woman, is a story about freedom, liberation, and love. Set in the violent backdrop of the waning months of the Civil War, Chalk's Woman addresses violence and redemption as seen through the eyes of a girl maturing into a woman.

Ann, a fourteen-year-old girl, wakes up after a terrible explosion in a make-shift hospital during the waning months of the Civil War--her house no longer stands and her mother is dead, and a young Dr. Frazier amputated her arm in order to to prevent infection. . Homeless and an orphaned, Ann feels her only option is to travel west.

She leaves Vicksburg on the Santa Fe Trail and meets a troupe of orphaned children like herself and joins up with them. Together they fight against the hardships of the wild frontier: abominable weather, savage Indians, and starvation all the way to Kansas where they meet and, much to his chagrin, fall in love with Chalk.

Chalk's not the nicest of men, and he sure does have a drinking problem, but from the moment Chalk and Ann see each other, they know their lives will forever be entwined.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A first-time author in his 70s, Ballantine draws on his 15 years of experience as editor of military titles for Bantam, and also on his experience as an antique firearms expert, to deliver this rugged survival tale set just after the Civil War. Protagonist Ann is 13 when she loses both parents and one of her arms in the war. Five years later, heading west on the Santa Fe trail to Oregon with her exploitative adoptive parents, Ann escapes to help four children who've been orphaned by cholera. After they winter with Sioux Indians, who save their lives, Ann and the children settle in Kansas, where Ann falls in love with Chalk, a cheerful, hard-drinking cowboy. Ann gives birth to his child the same day he is arrested for killing gunslinger Kay Cee Smith. He's not only acquitted, he wins a reward for gunning down the wanted man. Fortified by the reward money, Chalk, Ann and all of the children set out to pan for gold. A final showdown with more gunslingers brings the novel to a close. Choppy prose and static characters who talk in platitudes make what could have been an inspiring tale of pioneer survival just a series of disjointed events strung together. Oddly absent is an account of most of the passage along the Santa Fe trail (the children's winter with the Indians is summed up in two paragraphs), which could have served as the centerpiece of the narrative, yet instead is just one of many devices engineered to move the plot along. (Dec.) FYI: The author's brother, Ian, is well known in the industry, having developed three major American paperback imprints, including Ballantine Books.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Maimed and orphaned during the Civil^B War, Ann travels west to carve out an independent life for herself. Joining forces with a group of frightened children whose parents have died of cholera along the arduous Santa Fe Trail, she manages to bring her little brood to safety despite bad weather, a severe shortage of food, the threat of Indians, and the fact that^B she has only one arm Settling in a small frontier town with no money or material resources, Ann stoically accepts her fate and her responsibility. When she falls in love with Chalk, a less-than-perfect cowhand with a drinking problem and big dreams, she resolutely forges a strong and loyal family unit. A somber testament to the triumph of the pioneer spirit. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312873484
• ISBN-13: 978-0312873486
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,966,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REALLY GOOD BOOK!, May 21, 2001

By 

Roy M. Kahn (oakland, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chalk's Woman (Hardcover)

Almost more of an historical novel than a Western, Chalk's Woman by David Ballantine is, actually, both -- and authentic in both spheres! Its characters are alive and non-stereotypical; its men are 'Western', but Human (good and bad Human) and not cardboard formulated -- and often rare specimens; its women (and the hero is a civil-war innocent injured woman) are beautifully characterized and sensitively portrayed, believable and important. Excellent plot; excellent writing--;totally enjoyable and VERY interesting. I genuinely recommend it -- and I am not, normally, a 'Western reader or buyer! Book deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten. Let yourself enjoy this one. (This si the first time I have ever bothgered to write a review on a book -- so I MUST think its really good!). A great gift! ...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historicalfiction that satisfies, November 11, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chalk's Woman (Hardcover)

In the summer of 1863, the armies of the North and South fight at Vicksburg with some of the residual combat directly impacting civilians. For instance, local resident, teenager Ann Baxter barely survives a blast to her home that left her family dead and her arm amputated. After recovering in a poorly designed stopgap hospital, Ann realizes that as a homeless orphan her life in her hometown is over. She decides to leave Vicksburg and start over out west.

On the trek, Ann meets fourteen-year old Jim and his three younger siblings including a baby. Jim's parents just died leading to Ann, Jim, and the others to quickly rely on one another. In Kansas, Chalk, a drunk with little to live for, meets Ann and her merry band. As he observes her courageously face danger and trying situations, he finds he now has something to care about, his beloved Ann.

CHALK'S WOMAN is an exciting Reconstruction Era romance that centers on the lasting aftermath of the Civil War. The engaging story line works because of the depth each important character contains, which allows the audience to feel what the prime cast feels. David Ballantine provides sub-genre fans with a powerful debut novel that will leave readers anticipating future works from the author.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chalk's Woman, February 21, 2001

By 

Military History buff "Military History buff" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chalk's Woman (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book! David Ballantine captured the feel of the time. I felt that I was there. The drama and characters were so real that I couldn't stop reading. It really is a page-turner! I hope that he does more books. This was a wonderful read!