The Measure of a Lady

The Measure of a Lady
By Deanne Gist
Walker Large Print. 2007. 503 pages. Historical Fiction.

Rachel van Buren is literally stuck in 1849 Gold Rush San Francisco when her father unexpectedly dies on the passage there. Her father was hoping to make his fortune and described the streets as paved with gold. The streets, however, are paved with mud. There are no ships leaving the harbor as all the men have jumped ship in an effort to find their fortunes. There are no places for Rachel and her younger teenage sister Lissie, and brother Michael to stay. Johnnie Park, a disillusioned former missionary, who runs the City Hotel saloon and gambling hall, takes pity on the three orphans and allows them to stay with him. Rachel soon discovers that the wild west of San Francisco has a much different moral climate from her hometown. There are no “proper” ladies in the town of San Francisco. All the “sunbonnets”, as they are called, are in the mining camps with their husbands. As Rachel and Johnnie fall in love, almost against their wills, Rachel must reexamine her ideas about morality and right and wrong.

This novel received the Christy Award for excellence in Christian Fiction. In addition to being a step above most Christian Fiction, there are also many interesting historical tidbits about San Francisco. I found the descriptions of the complexities of relationships to be above average, particularly as Rachel battles wills with her beautiful and rebellious younger sister Lissa. The romance is genuine and not forced.

ALC