Book Report

A little late, I meant to get this out last week.

The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist

The story begins in San Fransisco, April 1849. The gold rush is starting to dwindle. A family debarks a ship from the high class Elizabeth, NJ. Their father died of consumption during their journey, their mother past when Rachel was a little girl. Rachel the eldest daughter age 20, is left to care for her sister, 16 and brother 15. The town has no law, no order, and worst of all no church. As she struggles with her own values and spirituality, she is trying to raise her sister and brother in a proper manner. The book paints a very true picture of how life was back then. Even though it is a fictional story, most of the facts are true. Example, Rachel is forced to ride a horse named Sweet Lips. And being a "Sunbonnet" that's what true ladies were called back then, she refuses to say those dreadful words. Until the horse's owner admits that she is named after George Washington's dog, Sweet Lips. Rachel concedes and calls the horse S.L. George Washington really did have a dog named Sweet Lips.
Very quick read. Kept my wandering mind focused. Allowed me to go to another time.