Jubilee Trail

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 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 show more 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

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 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 show 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

I can't believe I had never heard of this book before, and I am grateful to my Amazon friend who did review it or I would never have found it. I was quite surprised, as Amazon is usually so good at recommending similar items once it picks up on your reading habits.

This is the story of just out of finishing school Garnet, who meets and falls in love with Oliver Hale while he's visiting New York from California. Garnet has an adventurous spirit that Oliver indulges and they're off to California via the Jubilee Trail. Along the way they meet up with Florinda, the "bad" woman with a heart of gold and Garnet and Florinda become great friends, and support each other during the good and bad times as they cross the country and come to show more California before it is governed by the US.

The author does a very nice job of setting the scenery and the conditions along the trail -- you almost feel the dust in your mouth and on your skin and hair. I loved the way she used John's love of nature so that you can visualize everything from the snow topped mountains, to the red rocks of the southwest, to the wide open ranges, and the flora and fauna of California.

All in all a jolly good yarn, I had a hard time putting this down until the very end at the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill. Highly recommended for any lover of historical fiction, and as this was written 50+ years ago, the love scenes (if you can call them that) are very chaste and well suited for a younger reader. show less

As the forward says, it's the 1950's writing about the 1840's, and it's long. But not boring, and so far as I know, historically accurate. the view of the "diggers" and of slavery depicts the veiws of the 1840's.

I didn't read this one of Bristow's books as a teenager, guess the library didn't have it.

This book was a little too soap-opera-y to me.

I read this in the 70s and still remember the book. A very good read.

On of my favorite books of all time.