Prospects of a Woman: A Novel

Description

Elisabeth Goodwin comes to California from Massachusetts in 1849 with her new husband, Nate, to reunite with her father, who's struck gold on the American River. But she soon realizes her husband is not the man she thought-and neither is her father, who abandons them shortly after they arrive. As Nate struggles with his sexuality, Elisabeth is forced to confront her preconceived notions of family, love, and opportunity. She finds comfort in corresponding with her childhood friend back home, writer Louisa May Alcott, and spending time in the company of a mysterious Californio Don. Armed with Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance, she sets out to determine her role in building the West, even as she comes to terms with the sacrifices she must make to achieve independence and happiness. A gripping and illuminating window into life in the Old West, Prospects of a Woman is the story of one woman's passionate quest to carve out a place for herself in the liberal and bewildering society that emerged during the California gold rush frenzy.

Born and raised on the American River in Sacramento, Wendy Voorsanger has long held an intense interest in the historical women of California. She started her career in the Silicon Valley, writing about technology trends and innovations for newspapers, magazines, and Fortune 100 companies. She currently manages SheIsCalifornia.net, a blog dedicated to chronicling the accomplishments of California women through history. She earned a BA in journalism from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has attended Hedgebrook, the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop, and Lit Camp. She is a member of the Castro Writers' Cooperative, the Lit Camp Advisory Board, and the San Mateo Public Library Literary Society. She has also worked as a lifeguard, ski instructor, and radio disc jockey. Wendy lives in Northern California with her husband and two boys. Learn more at www.wendyvoorsanger.net.

2021 IPPY Awards Gold Winner in West-Pacific - Best Regional Fiction 2021 International Book Awards Winner in Best Cover Design: Fiction 2021 International Book Awards Winner in Best New Fiction 2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Historical 2021 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Finalist in Fiction - Historical (Event/Era) 2021 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Book Interior Design: Fiction 2021 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Regional Fiction: West 2021 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Western Fiction 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner in Regional (Fiction) 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in First Novel (Over 90,000 words) 2021 Independent Press Awards Winner in Western Fiction "Alive with historical details, intriguing characters, and resplendent natural beauty, Prospects of a Woman is a lusty, intelligent, and captivating portrait of a woman and of early California." --Foreword Reviews "A captivating gold-rush tale told from the viewpoint of an indomitable woman. Voorsanger creates a memorable hero in Elisabeth as well as a vivid depiction of the rough-and-tumble frontier life of mid-19th-century California, which is characterized by equal parts boundless optimism and humiliating despair. The author's language is evocative and beautifully apt both to period and subject." --Kirkus Reviews "Anyone with an interest in women's roles in history will find Prospects of a Woman a worthwhile read." --San Francisco Book Review "Prospects of a Woman is fascinating in its complexity; it is empowering and the author makes sure the reader gets a rush of excitement as they turn pages. This one deserves the prime spot on your bookshelf!" --Readers' Favorite Five-Star Review "I enjoyed this look into a woman's life during the Gold Rush. It was refreshing to learn that somewhere in America, women were moving beyond the tightly-laced Victorian lives women were forced into." --Midwest Book Review "Prospects of a Woman is a fascinating, complex, dark, and beautiful novel of women and sexuality on the frontier of the California gold strike days." --Douglas Glover, award-winning author of Elle "Prospects of a Woman is a riveting read about a woman who comes to California during the Gold Rush determined to escape societal constraints, find love, and strike it rich. As a woman in a man's world, she faces innumerable challenges but manages to rise above them. This is a bold, rollicking, and satisfying tale, one that is hard to put down." --Frances Dinkelspiel, award-winning journalist and author of the best-selling books Tangled Vines and Towers of Gold "I loved this surprisingly feminist story of Gold Rush-era California! Elisabeth Parker is a heroine to fall in love with--plucky, sensuous, courageous, and clear-eyed. It is a rare and unusual pleasure to--finally--have a narrative of the Gold Rush told from a woman's point of view." --Janis Cooke Newman, author of Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln "Prospects of a Woman is thoughtful and thrilling. The landscape of California--the rough-scrabble mining towns, the wildness of the river and woods--sings on every page." --Alex Myers, author of Revolutionary and Divide "Prospects of a Woman may be set in 1850s California but its stalwart lead, Elisabeth Parker, is a heroine for our times. She forges her way through an inhospitable world of men, determined to live independently and find a love that will be her very own. Wendy Voorsanger has created a character so charged with imagination and spirit she will lay claim to the hearts of all her readers." --Sophfronia Scott, author of Unforgivable Love and All I Need to Get By