Gwen Bristow (1903–1980)

"Little girl, the way to live is, get ready for the maybe. Then forget it."

Calico Palace is a lively historical story of San Francisco during the California Gold Rush from the perspective of two strong independent women.

Crazy times! And, people call them "the good 'ol days 😆 Leave it to humans to glorify a past that they know very little about. After you read this book, you'll be grateful for a lot...like law and order and solid construction standards!

This is a quick and engaging read. show more Character development is excellent...in fact, after I finished, I missed all of the characters that had been a part of my every day for a week.

Growing up in Northern California, I appreciated learning about San Francisco and surrounding area. Also, living in Panamá now, I was pleasantly surprised by the bit of Panamanian history included in the story.

The story was equal parts historical fiction and women's fiction, with much focus on friendships, romantic relationships, and the usual struggles of women during this time made extra crazy by the ratio of men to women in San Francisco.

Rather than complete realism, twists, and turns, the author opted for a more white-washed version of history and a feel-good story. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book, particularly because I learned a thing or two. show less

I like Gwen Bristow and I have read all of her "historicals." I hadn't read any of this one since I was a teenager and I have to say, the casual racism is something of a slap in the face as I didn't recall it at all. But I just checked the publication dates and they are 1937, 1938, and 1940, long before the Civil Rights movement and so it becomes less surprising.

Anyway, "Deep Summer" is the story of Judith Sheramy who marries Philip Larne and together they build a family and a plantation. show more This is set in the Louisiana territory pre-revolution. "The Handsome Road" is the story of two branches of the family, the poor white trash of Corrie May Upjohn, and the plantation family of the Larnes. Most of the second book takes place after the Civil War. "This Side of Glory" is set in 1912 through WW I and is how the families connect again.

From reading this long ago, I hadn't wanted to read "The Handsome Road" again because I recalled it being a story of endless misery, but it's really the best of the bunch.

If you can keep in your head when the books were written and what the south was like at that time, you can probably make it through these books and they would make a good summer read. 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