A grand tale of sensuality and sensibility set in the exciting and evolving California of the mid-1800s.
Elisabeth Parker travels to California with her new husband, Nate, with the hopes of striking it rich in gold and reuniting with her father. Generally more liberal than her upbringing would deem proper, Elisabeth doesn’t play the part of a submissive wife well and she is distraught to learn of her father’s betrayal. When the gold panning doesn’t pan out and with her marriage falters, Elisabeth resolves to toughen up and take care of herself. With only her signed copy of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” as a guide, and a long distance correspondence with her closest friend Louisa May Alcott, Elisabeth stakes a claim on her own independence in the volatile conditions of the Old West.
“Making money on her own terms had forged a strong nugget inside her, changing the balance in her marriage.” Prospects of a Woman is filled with revelations and pivotal changes for our strong protagonist. The narrative is candid and, at times, shocking, revealing the ups and downs of forging a new life in the West. Early on, Elisabeth comes across as selfish and immature. However, her resilience and determination truly shape the liberated woman she becomes as the story progresses. Although filled with grit and tenacity, Prospects of a Woman is not your typical gold-rush fiction. Wendy Voorsanger weaves a grand tale of sensuality and sensibility set in the exciting and evolving California of the mid-1800s.
