Customer Reviews

Daughter of Joy: A Novel of Gold Rush California (Women of the West)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Daughter of Joy is the excellently written story of Ah Toy, a young Chinese woman traveling to San Francisco when she finds herself alone and has to learn to be independent. I was interested right away in Ah Toy's quest to reach her "destiny" and everything that happens along the way. Not only is it a wonderful story, but a great source of historically correct information about living in San Francisco during the gold rush.

JoAnn Levy colorfully evokes the 19th century California gold rush through the eyes of a few Chinese immigrants, principally Ah Toy, a resourceful if often bewildered and sometimes terrified young Chinese woman in mourning for her big, unbound feet, with an idealistic love for a Chinese scholar and a cultural supposition that any man of importance can do as he wishes with her. Her prostitution is simply a practical job for her (she is puzzled by the western moral ethic); the real story is how she finds her own considerable strengths, becomes a guide and support to many others,and in the end turns out to be the heroine of her own life. You really cheer for her. Excellent color of the city which seems to burn down and be rebuilt every few months.

Abby moves and takes a job after she looses her son. She is housekeeper and a teacher for a difficult rancher, Conor, MacKay and his daughter, Beth. These three characters and their strong wills make an interesting story. It is a good plot however the latter part of the books moves a little slow. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"

Just finished DAUGHTER OF JOY and loved every page. The descriptions are wonderfully real and the characters are too. I hated for the book to end. It was a great American history lesson too.

From the first page I was swept into the turbulent history of San Francisco, the gold rush, and the amazing life of Ah Toy. Many thanks to JoAnn Levy for bringing this wonderful woman to our attention.

JoAnn Levy's insight into the people and times of the California Gold Rush is beautifully played out in this story of the resourceful Chinese immigrant, Ah Toy. We are transported not only to the raucous streets of 1850s San Francisco, but to the mind of a frightened Chinese woman who finds herself on foreign shores through events not in her control. Her victories over prejudice and poverty are testimony to a valiant spirit, and Ms. Levy's telling of the tale is convincing and heart-stirring. I could feel the dust from horse's hooves and smell the smoke from San Francisco's many fires, but most of all, I remember a woman with courage and resilience, and a sense of humor to get her through the long nights. An excellent read.

I was impressed with Levy's historic research as much as the way she developed an entirely believeable woman that we care about from the moment we meet her.

Every conflict which protagonist Ah Toy overcomes feels like a personal triumph. When you reach the last page you are impressed by her survival and certainly have gained new respect for what can be accomplished and overcome through perserverence. Male and female readers will both enjoy this story. It is an ageless adventure worth experiencing and a pleasant way to learn the lusty, raw, cross-cultural history of California. This is part of the "gold rush" story we rarely hear - but should.

I finished DAUGHTER OF JOY and found it wonderful! Tons of great information given in an engaging way. Thanks to JoAnn Levy for researaching and writing it!

In Daughter of Joy, author JoAnn Levy brings Gold Rush era San Francisco to life with her story of Ah Toy, a Chinese immigrant. Ah Toy comes to California a slave, but her strength and courage spur her on to win her freedom -- both from the men who would control her and from her own fears. Daughter of Joy is a fascinating story which left me eager for more from this first-time novelist. Lovers of historical fiction won't be disappointed!

Having done research on the protagonist Ah Toy, I can assure you that she was not the kind, motherly character as portrayed in this book. If that wasn't bad enough, the imagined love story is simply boring. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone interested in Chinese-American history.