Prospects of a Woman tells the story of Elisabeth and Nate Parker, two newlyweds relocating from Massachusetts to Gold Rush era California in search of her father and a new, hopefully prosperous, life. Once in California, the Parkers realize that life and marriage are going to be harder than they had anticipated.

This book was among one of the hardest for me to get into and to try to enjoy—and in the end, neither really happened for me. The main characters, Elisabeth, Nate, and her father, are horribly unlikeable and at no point did I think they would recover.

Initially, I had thought this was going to be a sweeping love story, but it wasn’t. Ultimately, the plot lacked direction and I never quite figured out why the author was writing this book. Prospects of a Woman just felt really aimless. If this book is meant to be the first in a series, then the author did a horrible job setting it up.

I read this so that you don’t have to.

*Advance Reader Copy provided courtesy of @NetGalley and She Wish Press in return for an honest review ( )

Elizabeth has married Nate and they have struck out for California. They want to find Elizabeth’s father and create a new life. However, it does not magically happen the way Elizabeth expects. Nate does not turn out to be the man she thought he was and Elizabeth must rely on her own intellect to survive.

You talk about a book I wanted to throw across the room…THIS IS IT! I was so frustrated with Elizabeth on so many levels. And the repetition by the author! It was repeated multiple times about Elizabeth not liking ants. And apparently, Elizabeth is sex craved…another fact mentioned multiple times!

If you like westerns you may enjoy this one. However, this story fell a little short for me. And I hate to post a bad review. I hate to damage an author’s hard work based on my opinion. And this is only my opinion.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

Every once in a while you encounter a book that just grabs you right from the beginning. That was this book. It was a shocker (in a good way). Instantly, I was transported back in time.

Major big props to Elisabeth. She started the story out as a meek and by the end had changed/grown into a strong, independent woman. It was women like her that helped pave the way for working women today. Elisabeth was the main character in this book. Everyone else could not compare. Although, I will say that when it came to her husband; in the beginning I was not a fan but as the story progressed I did warm up to him. Yet, Elisabeth really did not need a man.

Author, Wendy Voorsanger weaves an important period in time with engaging characters into a lovely story in Prospects of a Woman. I greatly look forward to reading the next book from this author. ( )

It's 1850 and Elizabeth and her new husband Nate have travelled from Massachusetts to California to find her father who struck gold on the American River. What she finds is that her father has totally changed and has no desire to see her. He leaves his claim to Elizabeth and Nate and disappears into the wilderness. What she finds is a river with little to no gold and soon she and Nate are working long hours to find gold but starving due to lack of money. Nate starts disappearing into the nearest town and when she goes to find him she realizes that she can make her own money by sewing and mending for the prospectors. She also finds out that women in California have rights to be independent, to divorce and to own property unlike women in the rest of the country. As she begins to feel like Nate doesn't want to spend time with her and realizes that he is struggling with his sexuality, she realizes that it's time to move into town and leave her husband and marriage behind. It's a struggle for her as she realizes that there are sacrifices to make on the road to independence but she's a strong woman and able to survive the pitfalls This novel is a look at a woman trying to survive on her own during the California gold rush.

My Comments: When you read a book about this time period, it's apparent how far women have come since then and the bravery and perseverance of the women who helped to start the changes. I didn't always like Elizabeth as a person but realized that she had to be unlikable at times to be successful in a man's world. This is one of the best books that I've read about the gold rush period because it's told through the eyes of a woman. ( )