Gwen Bristow (1903–1980)

A very creepy but also very wordy sort of proto-"And Then There Were None." How does a novella with so much bonkers plot to get through still manage to be so verbose?
Eight people gather for a mysterious dinner party where no one appears as host. That is, until a weird voice starts speaking to them over the radio, inviting them to play a game of wits with death as the penalty. They will all, the voice predicts, be dead by morning.
It's somewhat of an interesting period piece... May be worth show more visiting if you're interested in fiction trends from the 1930s. But trying to read it for its own merits, I found it over-strained itself and didn't always play fair. The voice on the radio promises no tricks, but there are tricks all over the place. show less

Interesting historical romance with the emphasis on the historical rather than the romance. Have to admit that I rather enjoyed reading more about Garnet's (the main character) friend Florinda (the bad girl with a heart of gold type), and tended to admire the latter more than the former. The historial aspects of the novel are reasonably accurate, but what I do dislike about the book are the clearly negative racial images and negative stereotypes of the native Californians. They are portrayed show more as fat, lazy, dirty and generally as sub-human, with no clear or fair explanation of what dreadful persecutions these people had undergone. The sufferings and injustices plied upon the Californian tribes was unbelievably terrible, and what is more alarming is that the information is generally quite scanty. The author's views of the characters' circumstances are locked in the mindset of her times (written in 1950) and "manifest destiny" is still considered rational, appropriate and a source of pride. Despite what some readers may find distasteful today, it still is a ripping good yarn and keeps you interested from start to finish. The language is simple enough for a youth reader, rich enough for adults. The romantic scenes are tame and understated by today's standards, again making it a good choice for younger readers. show less

My love for Celia Garth extends almost thirty years (!) to when I pulled it off the shelf in my middle school library; even then it was thirty years old. I loved learning about the South during the American revolution as it never seemed to be covered in history.

Celia grows so immensely during this novel that it’s more than a coming of age, but we get to see her become a woman. I always liked that she didn’t have all the answers and was ok with that, and she was the first one I’d heard show more about living in the present from. This is definitely a nostalgia read for me as it also was the first time I saw it spelled out that there was a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. show less

I decided to re-read the 1950 historical novel Jubilee Trail by Gwen Bristow because when I originally discovered this author in my teens some forty years ago, I galloped through all her books in record time and, looking back, I had a hard time remembering which one was which. Set in the 1840’s, Jubilee Trail is the story of two women who meet and although are very different in both personality and background, forge a strong friendship. For different reasons they undertake the hardship of show more wagon travel across America to the then-Mexican territory of California.

There is a lot to take in with this book. The story is long and epic and the author includes meticulous historical detail about the early days of California both as a Mexican territory and then it’s acquisition by the United States. The rebellious and resilient heroines and the men they become involved with are adventurous and colorful. The settings are varied, from the rich land holdings of deeded rancheros to a lively bar and gambling hall in the small, disreputable town of Los Angeles.

I felt that the author was a little long winded in her detailed descriptions and her characters were slightly cookie-cutter including as it did the bad woman with the heart of gold and the naive good girl who was looking to escape her genteel upbringing. Yet this stirring story still managed to totally captivate me with it’s sweeping adventure. show less