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The Turquoise
by
Anya Seton
It is the story of a beautiful, gifted woman who leaves the magic mountains of her native New Mexico for the piratical, opulent, gaslit New York of the 1870s—only to end her search for happiness back in the high, thin air of Santa Fe.
Santa Fe Cameron, named for the place of her birth, was the child of a Spanish mother and a Scotch father and inherited from both a high deg...more
Santa Fe Cameron, named for the place of her birth, was the child of a Spanish mother and a Scotch father and inherited from both a high deg...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
1973
by Coronet
(first published 1946)
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I read this book as the March selection of the Rainbow Reading Challenge. "The Turquoise" is the story of a girl whose parents were Mexican and Scottish. She was named for the city of her birth, Santa Fe, but her father called her Fey. Her mother died in childbirth so she lived the first years of her life with her father who was a Scottish doctor. They discovered that Fey had the gift of "sight". Later, when Fey was about 7, her father was killed when he went to help a fellow doctor with a surge...more
Apr 06, 2009
Nancy Delaski
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Loves stories about strong women
Recommended to Nancy by:
Am reading all Anya Seton novels
I loved this book. Have read 6 other Anya Seton novels and this one and Katherine are my favorites. The story moves along very rapidly and has some of her very best characters in addition to Fey the strong heroine in the novel. It contains elements of romance, ambition, betrayal, adventure in wide ranging locations. and keeps you turning pages to keep up with the life of this amazing women . Even the 19th century historical settings in Santa Fe and NYC as well as travel between them gives you a...more
This historical fiction novel was a little difficult for me to get started just because of the many Spanish words in the beginning, but I'm about half-way through and it's interesting. I'll write a better review when I've read the whole book.
Book finished. Great read. Here's my review:
The Turquoise, a fictional work written by Anya Seton, is about a very remarkable woman who starts her young life with an external gift of a turquoise gem from an Indian shaman, pride of her heritage and internal g...more
Book finished. Great read. Here's my review:
The Turquoise, a fictional work written by Anya Seton, is about a very remarkable woman who starts her young life with an external gift of a turquoise gem from an Indian shaman, pride of her heritage and internal g...more
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I have a love affair with turquoise, which led me to this book. It reminded me of Gone with the Wind, and yet Fey was more likable than Scarlet O'Hara. I am a single mother, and so Fey’s abandoned pregnant plight in the 1860’s NYC was a terrifying thing to read. I wanted to see her choose strength of her own to survive and was dismayed that she turned to seducing a powerful and rich man to marry her and in so doing hid her past and who she was behind him. It beautifully came full circle in the e...more
I find Seton's writing enjoyable because she has strong and independent female characters. The Turquoise is no exception as she tells the compelling tale of Santa Fey Cameron, whose heritage is the unlikely combination of Scottish and Spanish parents. When her father dies, leaving her orphaned she lives with a poor Mexican family. To escape this life Fey marries Terry Dillon, a handsome Irish rogue, only to be abandoned in New York, pregnant and alone. She finds a friend in Dr. Rachel at a clin...more
What a find! It is a rare book that makes me weep. Not in sorrow but in empathy. The life story of an amazing woman born in Santa Fe. She is a "forgotten" legend of the area. The author is a wonderful storyteller whose prose sometimes borders poetry. She researched through the memories of the elders in the area, the scant records available from the late 1800's and has presented us a piece of thought-provoking historical fiction. She has written La Santa's (or Sante Fe or Fey)life as a parable -...more
Original review posted here
Have you heard of Anya Seton? I sure hadn’t. I’m not sure what possessed me to put this book on my TBR list back in 2009, but THANK GOODNESS I did. Because y’all, this book was magnificent.
It was published first in 1946, and the copy I got from the library was bound in one of those old style books – unassuming, no pictures, gold lettering on top of an orange cover. I looked at that book and thought.. what was I thinking? And then I started to read… and I read more and...more
Have you heard of Anya Seton? I sure hadn’t. I’m not sure what possessed me to put this book on my TBR list back in 2009, but THANK GOODNESS I did. Because y’all, this book was magnificent.
It was published first in 1946, and the copy I got from the library was bound in one of those old style books – unassuming, no pictures, gold lettering on top of an orange cover. I looked at that book and thought.. what was I thinking? And then I started to read… and I read more and...more
Not Seton's best work, but still an interesting read. This is the story of Santa Fe (Fey) Cameron, named after the town she was born in, Santa Fe New Mexico. Her high born spanish mother died in childbirth, and her father (the disinherited younger son of a highland laird) died when she was a young girl, leaving her to be raised by a lower class mexican family. When Fey turns 17 she meets Terry Dillon, a handsome, charming but ever so unscrupulous medicine man who is headed back east to make his...more
This book was a really good read. i loved how the story flowed was always interesting and never dull. It follows through the life of Fay from where she came to what she became. i did not like that she tried to run from who she was and how easily she could be diverted. However i wouldn't want this story any other way. i was surprised picking up this book had spanish in it and it was written very well into the dialogue.
Jul 20, 2009
Nola Collier
added it
Anya Seton does a great job of introducing the reader to the early citizens of New Mexico and 19th century New York. This novel addresses the problems of social class in both areas. It also addresses the struggle the heroine has in dealing with her conflicting backgrounds. The plot is somewhat predictable, but I enjoyed the background research the author had done.
I was excited to read a first edition copy thanks to my good friend, Adam. The book itself felt so wonderful in my hands, and it felt like I was opening a real treasure. The story itself was magical, beginning in Santa Fe, moving to New York City, and ending back in Santa Fe. I loved reading about Fey's trials and tribulations and ultimate redemption. A moving, beautiful story.
1 like · like · see review
This book didn't grab me as much as Seton's other books. I think it's because I didn't think Fey's love and attraction for Terry were very believable. I felt she was smarter than the dumb decisions she made.
I first read and enjoyed this as a teenager. I remembered it was about the south West. HAving read the synopsis again I see it is about New Mexico. I need to find it and read it again.
I had to pick up this copy at the UBS just to upload the cover.
Wonderful book. This was copyright in the 1940's. A girl is trying to find out who she really is. I loved this book.
Like Dragonwyk, great story, believeable. Just too much fiction for me.
A beautiful illustration of contrast. A tragic full circle novel that is full of surprises. Seton is awesome!
Love this book. Read as teenager and still may have it.
Maudlin. Simpering. Ick.
Another good Seton novel,though this one is only loosely based on fact and in a much more contemporary setting than most of her books, it's set in the mid 1800's. The main character reminds me a lot of Scarlett from Gone with the Wind, which means she's kind of selfish and ruthless.The story is entirely readable though not as good as some of her other novels, say, Green Darkness or Avalon.
A far cry from The Winthrop Woman which is one of my favorite books, The Turquoise is nevertheless, at least entertaining. This is definitely not Anya Seton's best work.
Apr 30, 2012
Cheryl in CC NV
marked it as library-to-read
Foxfire looks even more interesting so I requested that - ILL seems to have one copy of each of several Seton books so we'll see which I get a copy of first.
I am a huge Anya Seton fan, but this novel was not one of her best works. But read her others. they are great...
Did I read this??? I can't remember. Jane what was the plot?
Jun 12, 2013
Cynthia
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2013
Angela Sage
marked it as to-read
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Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton.
Ann Seton was born in New York, New York, and died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of English-born naturalist and pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton and Grace Gallatin Seton....more
More about Anya Seton...
Ann Seton was born in New York, New York, and died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of English-born naturalist and pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton and Grace Gallatin Seton....more
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