The Gold Rush Girls by Craig Moody is a tell of women who aspire for adventure and a better life by going west along with the wave of gold seekers in the 1840’s. But the life they find instead is grim, painful, and will test the limits of their will to live. The Gold Rush Girls is about survival, not of man vs nature, but of man vs man.

I was pulled into The Gold Rush Girls from the first paragraph. I enjoyed reading about the rough and tumble details about the trail, the heat, sickness, and other harshness endured on the trail. I love how the author was able to take me to that time and take me on this journey with the Ten women as they struggled to survive against loss, starvation, broken hearts, humiliation, and anger. When they were free I even felt relieved for them even though I knew it would be short lived.

The Gold Rush Girls is an emotionally draining novel, in the same way that The Handmaid’s Tale or Outlander is. The novel is riveting from the beginning but there are relationships and motivations that I think needed a more in depth explanation or exploration. I would have really liked to understand why Z loved Meideth. I wanted a deeper exploration of the relationship between Paco and Caroline’s somewhat stockholm like relationship. The characters were intriguing, but I wanted a fuller explanation of their motivations and how and why they change throughout the novel.

Meredith is a stirring main character that tackles an unbelievable amount of hardships. She is able to rebuild herself after repeated disaster and come out intact. She makes friends, loses friends, has several jobs and seeks a better life. She’s definitely a multifaceted woman that is super human in her ability to endure inhuman torture and come out the other side much the same. She is repeatedly assaulted but never loses her desire for a handsome man or portrays the mental or emotional scars someone might have.

The Gold Rush Girls is an emotional adventure that uses the known story of the search for gold out west and adds provocative new twists that will keep readers constantly thinking and empathizing.

Pages: 302 | ASIN: B0885BVNX7