Customer Reviews

Five Star First Edition Westerns - Matchless

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I would not normally pick up a Western novel, so I wasn't expecting to really enjoy this book. Boy was I wrong! This book tells an absolutely fascinating story about a pioneer woman and her husband who participate in the gold and silver rush. They travel from Maine, through Kansas, and end up in Colorado. The character development is top notch, although I did feel that the author displayed quite a bit of bias toward the heroine, and an equal bias against her husband...but that is worth overlooking in the greater scheme of the book. I think the husband would have told the story differently, but then again this book is from the perspective of the wife!

I didn't realize the book was based on true events and real people until I finished it, and now I am haunted by their story and their lives. It is inspiring, because of the heroine's independence and hard working attitude, and thought-provoking, because of the personal costs to the main characters. Even though the events took place well over 100 years ago I thought the characters still have a lot of relevance to life today.

This novel was exquisite and laden with emotion. The characters were so well-developed and so real! i found myself laughing, crying and furious right along with the characters. I picked it up and couldn't put it down! Any avid reader of Western fiction needs to read this book.

Jane Candia Coleman has done a superb job of telling the story of Colorado's most famous love triangle throught the eyes of Augusta Tabor, the jilted wife of H.A.W. Tabor and his love interest, the infamous Baby Doe. Jane knows her stuff, and has incorporated as much truth as research allows into this fascinating tale of the pioneer days in Leadville and Denver. Well done, and an interesting and entertaining historical read.