Leaving Eldorado

Reviewed by: Jan Hamilton - Long Creek Center, South Portland., Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 28, 2015

Review

Maude is a strong protagonist in a time when girls were only valuable as servants, wives or mothers. At the age of fourteen Maude decides to remain in Eldorado when her father leaves to fulfill his gold fever dreams. Through some tough situations Maude proves to be capable of taking care of herself while harboring a burning desire to leave that ghost town to seek a future as an artist.

This historical novel reveals the low expectation of young woman during the gold rush in the West. While other books on this period of time portray mostly men, the feminist attitude taken by the author makes this a complementary material for middle school history classrooms. Although the text could have been tighter this is an interesting read studded with female characters that possessed dreams for their future.

It is worth noting that the text has a copyright of 1993.

Overall Book Score: good