Reviewer: Connie Payne
Title: The Measure of a Lady
Author: Deeanne Gist
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 0-7642-0073-9
Release Date: May/June 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Inspirational Romance
Year/Setting: 1849 - San Francisco
Overall Rating: 5.0
Sexual Content rating: None
Language (Profanity) Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: Neglible
Deeanne's Website:
www.deeannegist.com/index.php
The Measure of a Lady takes us back to the early days of the California Gold Rush where Rachel Van Buren and her siblings are seemingly stranded. Their father passed away on the ship and there are no outgoing ships to be found. Gold fever strikes all, leaving ships deserted in the harbor.
What Rachel finds in San Francisco is an abomination to her and she feels to God. Gambling, drinking, and womanizing seem to be the main source of recreation and business. All of which she finds abhorrent. All of which she tries to protect her sister, Lissa, and brother, Michael, from.
Striking a bargain with saloon/gambling hall owner, Johnnie Parker, she cleans his place of business and cooks for him. And though he’s paying her it seems as if she’s setting up all the rules.
Johnnie begins to fall in love with Rachel, something he tries to fight. She’s everything he doesn’t want in a woman, everything he once had and lost. That and more. But it appears as if it’s out of his hands. He comes to be very protective of her and subsequently on her behalf, her sister and brother. Though that proves to be an impossible task.
Her indignant and rigid views of the town and certain inhabitants cause quite a strain on her relationship with Lissa and Michael. Consequently the more the she tries to hold on to her siblings, the looser the hold gets. Things spiral downward fast. All the while Johnnie becomes very dear to her, though she knows it can never be. He owns one of "those" places and doesn’t seem to be interested in changing. So she will love him, but nothing more will ever come of it, though she does have the memory of a shameful (in her eyes) kiss or two to pull out from time to time and remember.
Even if Johnnie thinks she talks out of both sides of her mouth regarding the town’s iniquities, she feels it’s her duty to set the example, not only for her sister and brother, but also for the whole town. She sees it as her duty to change them and their way of thinking. And it doesn’t seem to be working.
Why isn’t God answering her prayers? How come no one is changing as she thinks they should? Why is she continually drawn to Johnnie when he’s a part of the city’s abomination? What more will she have to lose before her eyes are open to what’s been before her all along? What really is the measure of a lady? She'll get the answer to these questions and more.
Rachel is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to protecting her brother and sister as well as with the town's behavior inasmuch as it affects her and her family. She may come off strong or self-righteous but she's doing what she feels is right no matter how things turn out because of it. Underneath it all, though, we're shown her vulnerability, fear and uncertainty.
The other characters in this book are no less powerful or meaningful than Rachel, though they each have a different role to play and play it well. Johnnie with his issues with God and internal struggles, Michael with his coming of age, Lissa with her abrupt turn down life’s path, and others. All the characters are a good fit to this story and to Rachel’s metamorphose.
This book caused a riot of thoughts and feelings in me at any given time. For example, I wanted to shake Rachel and I wanted to hug her. I wanted to knock some sense into Lissa and give her a boot in the seat, while once in a while I agreed with what she said. I wanted to give Johnnie an encouraging nod or smile with how he was trying to get Rachel to see things in a different light all the while trying to change things in himself.
Ms. Gist has written a very powerful novel in The Measure of a Lady. It sizzles and impacts the reader with its thought provoking, inspirational content. Any author that can cause one to think and rethink and can create so many different opinions and emotions in a reader, in one book, is a very gifted one indeed.
Connie
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