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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
First impressions- I wasn't quite sure whether or not I was interested in this book, but then I attended a YA galley chat and someone compared it to TRUE GRIT. Then they said that the female protagonist was amazing. So I grew a little more interested.
Leah (Lee) Westfall is a witch... of sorts. She can sniff out gold like a dog can sniff out a squirrel. Gold literally calls to her- when she comes near it, her entire body thrums with melodies and reveals its location. Set on the cusp of the 1849 California Gold Rush, her witchy ways have afforded her family a very comfortable lifestyle, but it has also brought with it conspiracies and jealousies. Leah's town of Dahlonega, Georgia is convinced that her family is sitting on a goldmine and holding out on the rest of them. When she returns home to find her family murdered in cold blood, she realizes that the murderer is closer to home that she could have ever imagined. Leah is faced with two options: stay in Dahlonega and become a pawn in her new guardian's plans, or reject her old life and strike out West, disguised as a man. She chooses freedom and runs off to find her friend Jefferson, who left for the West a few weeks before she smartened up.
She encounters every trial and pain on her journey West. Gold always comes at a price and she has to pay one way or the other. She joins a wagon train bound for California, loaded with more secrets than she ever expected to keep hidden from her traveling companions. WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER is a character driven story that is very compelling. Lee gains a new family, friends, and strength enough to discover who she truly is, despite being in disguise.
I'm noticing that Westerns are making a comeback. I don't ever want to read this genre, but I found this book extremely compelling. Lee is very well developed, as were the secondary characters. I found the slow burning romance unpredictable (finally...) and will not cause a single eye-roll. Lee is a strong female protagonist that will leave you excited for her future and rooting for her at every turn.
Leah (Lee) Westfall is a witch... of sorts. She can sniff out gold like a dog can sniff out a squirrel. Gold literally calls to her- when she comes near it, her entire body thrums with melodies and reveals its location. Set on the cusp of the 1849 California Gold Rush, her witchy ways have afforded her family a very comfortable lifestyle, but it has also brought with it conspiracies and jealousies. Leah's town of Dahlonega, Georgia is convinced that her family is sitting on a goldmine and holding out on the rest of them. When she returns home to find her family murdered in cold blood, she realizes that the murderer is closer to home that she could have ever imagined. Leah is faced with two options: stay in Dahlonega and become a pawn in her new guardian's plans, or reject her old life and strike out West, disguised as a man. She chooses freedom and runs off to find her friend Jefferson, who left for the West a few weeks before she smartened up.
She encounters every trial and pain on her journey West. Gold always comes at a price and she has to pay one way or the other. She joins a wagon train bound for California, loaded with more secrets than she ever expected to keep hidden from her traveling companions. WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER is a character driven story that is very compelling. Lee gains a new family, friends, and strength enough to discover who she truly is, despite being in disguise.
I'm noticing that Westerns are making a comeback. I don't ever want to read this genre, but I found this book extremely compelling. Lee is very well developed, as were the secondary characters. I found the slow burning romance unpredictable (finally...) and will not cause a single eye-roll. Lee is a strong female protagonist that will leave you excited for her future and rooting for her at every turn.
slow-paced
3.5 stars solid historical fiction about the California gold rush as well as being a girl in pre Civil War America.
4.5 stars
I must confess that I was eager to read this book for three reasons: 1) Rae Carson; 2) the absolutely gorgeous cover; 3) the poetic and mysterious title. By now, it should come as no surprise that I had no idea what I was getting into as I began to read Walk on Earth a Stranger, and so it took me a little while to settle into this historical tale.
The main character, Lee, won me over so quickly that it was almost a shock. Not even counting the fact that this chick is deer hunting with a rifle _while wearing a dress_ and that she is exceptionally capable, PLUS she has some kind of magical tingly sense to detect gold... it's truly her wits and attitude that made me fall in love with her.
As befits a historical novel, this book sets a slower pace, but that does not mean it is bereft of action, tension, or intrigue. I was tucked so far into Lee's pocket throughout her entire story, I felt so close to her, hiding right in plain sight along with her, that it made each moment all the more urgent and tangible.
American history has never been a favorite subject of mine, so I felt like I learned a great deal about the argonauts who set forth toward the west, in search of gold and the bounty that California promised. Each encounter was filled with emotion, moral questions, and challenges of character for each person involved. Through it all, I absolutely adored Lee Westfall.
Whether or not you're a fan of Rae Carson, whether or not you're a fan of historical fiction -- or magical realism, this book is likely to win you over the way it did me. Do yourself a favor and read Walk on Earth a Stranger. It's one of the best books I've read in 2015.
I must confess that I was eager to read this book for three reasons: 1) Rae Carson; 2) the absolutely gorgeous cover; 3) the poetic and mysterious title. By now, it should come as no surprise that I had no idea what I was getting into as I began to read Walk on Earth a Stranger, and so it took me a little while to settle into this historical tale.
The main character, Lee, won me over so quickly that it was almost a shock. Not even counting the fact that this chick is deer hunting with a rifle _while wearing a dress_ and that she is exceptionally capable, PLUS she has some kind of magical tingly sense to detect gold... it's truly her wits and attitude that made me fall in love with her.
I punch him in the shoulder.
He jerks backward, staring at me in mock disapproval. "Your punches didn't used to hurt so much."
"I like to get better at things."
As befits a historical novel, this book sets a slower pace, but that does not mean it is bereft of action, tension, or intrigue. I was tucked so far into Lee's pocket throughout her entire story, I felt so close to her, hiding right in plain sight along with her, that it made each moment all the more urgent and tangible.
American history has never been a favorite subject of mine, so I felt like I learned a great deal about the argonauts who set forth toward the west, in search of gold and the bounty that California promised. Each encounter was filled with emotion, moral questions, and challenges of character for each person involved. Through it all, I absolutely adored Lee Westfall.
My fists clench with the need to bust his bright, red nose. It's a testament to my fine character that I turn tail and jog away.
Whether or not you're a fan of Rae Carson, whether or not you're a fan of historical fiction -- or magical realism, this book is likely to win you over the way it did me. Do yourself a favor and read Walk on Earth a Stranger. It's one of the best books I've read in 2015.
I love historical fiction, so this ended up being an unputdownable read for me, reminiscent of Under A Painted Sky. It had certain elements that I'm drawn to: a character who experiences true growth; supporting cast of characters that are more than they seem at first; a slow-burn friends-to-more romance, and a thoughtful look at gender, race, discrimination, and even faith. While not everything is 100% historically accurate, it was well researched (for example, the Methodists did split over the issue of slavery; there were a few anti-slavery Northern transplants to the South; and half-native people were terribly discriminated against). Lee is an easy protagonist to invest in and root for, and although the romance is slight in this installment, it's obvious Jefferson is a devoted best friend and worthy love interest.
"Now that I’m a girl, I’m treated like I’m nobody again, to be owned or herded or strung along, so helpless and awful that I must be redeemed or married off because it’s convenient for someone."
I've been looking forward to [b:Walk on Earth a Stranger|17564519|Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer, #1)|Rae Carson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424451210s/17564519.jpg|24498341] for so long. And I am happy to say it did not disappoint!
[b:Walk on Earth a Stranger|17564519|Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer, #1)|Rae Carson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424451210s/17564519.jpg|24498341] is about a girl named Leah Westfall who can sense gold. After her parents are murdered, Leah disguises herself as a boy and decides to head west to find gold and start a new life.
This book had me hooked from the first page. I was a little worried about this only because I've never been a huge fan of westerns, but Carson has written a fast-paced historical novel with some paranormal thrown in there that makes for an exciting read.
What I liked most about this book though was Leah.
"It’s a testament to my fine character that I don’t smash that Bible right into his nose."
Leah is definitely one of the most determined characters I've ever read about. She's not perfect but she's someone you can respect and even look up to. She wants to be seen as an equal, not some damsel in distress. So she decides to disguise herself as a boy because she knows nobody will take her seriously as a woman.
“I’d rather be treated with respect than treated like a lady."
Since this did take place in the 1840s, the majority of the story is Leah and her friends trying to survive the trek to California. I mean, there were no planes so... it took a while to get there. They encounter thieves, buffalo's, measles, you name it. They meet all types of people along the way, and Carson manages to portray most of them in a realistic way.
The point is this book has such an amazing concept, lots of action, a slow-burn romance, and a kick-ass heroine that all I have to say is trust me when I say you should read this.
Also, that cover is amazing.
I enjoyed this new book by Rae Carson. I never thought I'd like a book about the gold rush, but Rae Carson made it possible! There are actually a lot of messages about feminism and the socialization of women in this book, which I loved. I would have liked to see a little bit more about Leah's powers related to gold, but I hope that will be more of a focus of the next book.
I cannot stop thinking about this book. I did not want to end and I do not want to wait until September to read the next installment. The story is compelling, the characters a interesting and multi-faceted. I really liked it!
Audio book review.
YA fiction version of the old "Oregon Trail" PC game. We follow our main character after the death of her parents as she makes her way from her home in Georgia to Independence, Missouri. She meets up with her best friend and a joins a misfit wagon train headed west to California in search of gold.
Along the way, women die in childbirth, wagons leave the train or are too damaged to continue on, Indians pass through to trade goods, property is stolen or redistributed or sometimes abandoned altogether, cholera breaks out first, then the measles later, there is a buffalo stampede that results in oxen death and broken human bones, one man gets run over by his own wagon and is sort of squashed to death. Overall, there is SO MUCH going on in this book. It's all told from the perspective of our main character, a young woman who has disguised herself (not very convincingly, turns out) as a boy.
The story is not very convincing in some points. There are odd coincidences of circumstance, like how there are no robbers on the journey, no Indian attacks, no bandits on horseback, no small towns or homesteads. They don't even seem to run into any other wagons except once, only what is left behind by the wagons that travelled before them. There are no natural disasters like thunderstorms, lightning, floods or tornadoes. No one died of dysentery, so at least that unpleasant cliche was avoided. But at the end of the book, the teams makes it to California by crawling out of the desert and ending at a well-known fort, only to run into our main character's uncle who travelled by way of the oceans and the Panama Canal. You're telling me out of ALL the landing ports in California (a MASSIVE state), these two somehow end up in the same place??
Our main character's gold sense is so well-hidden that we only hear about it a handful of times. It doesn't play a main part in the story so far, and for the most part the reader forgets that she even has this ability. She uses it twice to find those that have been lost from the wagon train, also conveniently. I imagine her gift will be used more in California, but that's book 2.
I appreciate the character development of all the characters in the story, not just the main ones. The author is gifted in creating well-rounded characters with motivations and faults that are genuine and true-to-life for the time period, or at least believably so. I love how progressive the main character is, wanting to be her own person and not just a possession to be passed between and controlled by men. She can ride and hunt and shoot with the best of them, but still has to fight the gender stereotypes forced on her for the time period.
Overall, the book is a struggle. Literally. The whole time through it, our characters are struggling to make a living, to survive the long hard journey across the country. They run into almost every single problem possible, and at the end are ready to collapse. It's difficult for me to enjoy a story where the characters are in distress the entire time. Not a very fun book to read, and I probably won't ever read it again. I put the second book in my wish list, so maybe I'll continue on in the future, but not any time soon.
YA fiction version of the old "Oregon Trail" PC game. We follow our main character after the death of her parents as she makes her way from her home in Georgia to Independence, Missouri. She meets up with her best friend and a joins a misfit wagon train headed west to California in search of gold.
Along the way, women die in childbirth, wagons leave the train or are too damaged to continue on, Indians pass through to trade goods, property is stolen or redistributed or sometimes abandoned altogether, cholera breaks out first, then the measles later, there is a buffalo stampede that results in oxen death and broken human bones, one man gets run over by his own wagon and is sort of squashed to death. Overall, there is SO MUCH going on in this book. It's all told from the perspective of our main character, a young woman who has disguised herself (not very convincingly, turns out) as a boy.
The story is not very convincing in some points. There are odd coincidences of circumstance, like how there are no robbers on the journey, no Indian attacks, no bandits on horseback, no small towns or homesteads. They don't even seem to run into any other wagons except once, only what is left behind by the wagons that travelled before them. There are no natural disasters like thunderstorms, lightning, floods or tornadoes. No one died of dysentery, so at least that unpleasant cliche was avoided. But at the end of the book, the teams makes it to California by crawling out of the desert and ending at a well-known fort, only to run into our main character's uncle who travelled by way of the oceans and the Panama Canal. You're telling me out of ALL the landing ports in California (a MASSIVE state), these two somehow end up in the same place??
Our main character's gold sense is so well-hidden that we only hear about it a handful of times. It doesn't play a main part in the story so far, and for the most part the reader forgets that she even has this ability. She uses it twice to find those that have been lost from the wagon train, also conveniently. I imagine her gift will be used more in California, but that's book 2.
I appreciate the character development of all the characters in the story, not just the main ones. The author is gifted in creating well-rounded characters with motivations and faults that are genuine and true-to-life for the time period, or at least believably so. I love how progressive the main character is, wanting to be her own person and not just a possession to be passed between and controlled by men. She can ride and hunt and shoot with the best of them, but still has to fight the gender stereotypes forced on her for the time period.
Overall, the book is a struggle. Literally. The whole time through it, our characters are struggling to make a living, to survive the long hard journey across the country. They run into almost every single problem possible, and at the end are ready to collapse. It's difficult for me to enjoy a story where the characters are in distress the entire time. Not a very fun book to read, and I probably won't ever read it again. I put the second book in my wish list, so maybe I'll continue on in the future, but not any time soon.