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1st out of 28 books
—
6 voters
Calico Palace
by
Gwen Bristow
This thrilling story of the California gold rush is not about the forty-niners, the prospectors who came rushing to the San Francisco area in 1849, but about the men and women who were there when it all began with the first discovery of gold in 1848, when San Francisco was a village of 900 people. These were the people who went up to the hills and came back staggering unde...more
Paperback, 608 pages
Published
November 1st 2009
by Chicago Review Press
(first published March 1970)
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948)
Feb 08, 2013
Mike Smith
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bildungsroman,
historical-fiction
Calico Palace reminded me of Mrs. Mike, a period tale of Western adventure, largely from a young woman's perspective. Though I enjoyed reading about characters criss-crossing the area we live in, I found the characters harder to relate to than Mrs. Mike. I couldn't get away from the nagging feeling that this story felt voyeuristic compared to other historical fiction. Maybe if I felt more antagonistic towards the world around me, I would have appreciated this more - On the Road created a similar...more
Nov 10, 2009
Jenny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-historical-fiction,
doorway-setting
I haven't read a decent historical in... a long time. It was a little difficult to get into the swing of the novel, probably because it had been described to me as a romance--which it really wasn't--so I wasn't expecting the plot to unfold the way it did, or the writing itself, in truth. I suppose Calico Palace could be described as a romance, in that the two main female characters (and just about everyone else, it seems) end up married by the end, but it certainly doesn't read like a romance.
S...more
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This book was actually written before I was even born; I know, I know, they made books that long ago! I was talking to one of my library friends and she recommended it saying it was an oldie, but a goodie if you like historical fiction. Although the cover made me think "romance" novel, which isn't really my cup of tea, I went ahead and gave it a try. And while there were some romantic story lines, this book is not what I would classify as romance. The book was well written, the story did take so...more
So far I am really liking this book. I loved it!!!
This story of the California gold rush is not about the forty-niners, the prospectors who came rushing to the San Francisco area in 1849, but about the men and women who were there when it all began with the first discovery of gold in 1848, when San Francisco was a village of 900 people. These were the people who went up to the hills and came back staggering under the weight of the treasure they carried, and who began transforming San Francisco f...more
This story of the California gold rush is not about the forty-niners, the prospectors who came rushing to the San Francisco area in 1849, but about the men and women who were there when it all began with the first discovery of gold in 1848, when San Francisco was a village of 900 people. These were the people who went up to the hills and came back staggering under the weight of the treasure they carried, and who began transforming San Francisco f...more
I just pulled this one out of my garage for a reread. I forgot what a great book it was. I love historical fiction and love how clean the old authors used to write. This one is about the trek from the East to settle California--the first time I read it I had no idea the Cajon Pass was a real place--it was fun to read again with new eyes!
oops-looks like I mixed up her books--Jubilee trail is about the settling of the LA area--this one is about San Francisco in the early years. Both were excellent...more
oops-looks like I mixed up her books--Jubilee trail is about the settling of the LA area--this one is about San Francisco in the early years. Both were excellent...more
Nov 28, 2009
Mary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Mary by:
wanted to read more from this author after Jubilee Trail
I loved reading about early San Francisco and the changes made by the wealth pouring in from the gold fields. A hundred years later I saw many of the unique features mentioned in the book and another forty years haven't taken away the romance and have added more. One of the great cities of the world, only the hardiest and bravest arrived at its waterfront and from across the mountains and the prairies in those days. The story of some of these individuals give more life and flavor to the already...more
This author brings the gold rush and San Francisco to life. I actually owned this book in the 70's (and loved it). I have no idea why I gave it away, as now I had to buy another used copy. Hope I didn't buy my own back again!
This is a book about Kendra, who with her mother and step father came to San Francisco right before the start of the gold rush. Kendra was an unwanted child, and she soon finds the man of her dreams, marries him and they are off to the gold country. Among the group they are...more
This is a book about Kendra, who with her mother and step father came to San Francisco right before the start of the gold rush. Kendra was an unwanted child, and she soon finds the man of her dreams, marries him and they are off to the gold country. Among the group they are...more
2 likes · like · see review
view all 6 comments
Aug 20, 2008
Misfit
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
read-and-keep-for-a-reread
This author brings the gold rush and San Francisco to life. I actually owned this book in the 70's (and loved it). I have no idea why I gave it away, as now I had to buy another used copy. Hope I didn't buy my own back again!
This is a book about Kendra, who with her mother and step father came to San Francisco right before the start of the gold rush. Kendra was an unwanted child, and she soon finds the man of her dreams, marries him and they are off to the gold country. Among the group they are...more
This is a book about Kendra, who with her mother and step father came to San Francisco right before the start of the gold rush. Kendra was an unwanted child, and she soon finds the man of her dreams, marries him and they are off to the gold country. Among the group they are...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I truly loved this book. The story of San Francisco during the Gold Rush, with endearing characters of mixed goodness, was well written. It was populated with people who I wanted to follow for many more years. I tried to drag out my reading it because I didn't want it to end. Yet, I wanted to find out what happens with each of them. The research the author did to make it all so "real" impressed me. I intend to read more by this author.
Oct 11, 2009
Meaghan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Meaghan by:
CRP
This book got me obsessed with the gold rush. A great historical novel for anyone who is interested in city development and sociology. I wasn't too enthused when I started reading it (for work), but MAN I got into it and went so far as to reserve a PBS gold rush documentary at the library to fill in the gaps. An easy read, cheesy at times, and something I wish I'd read in junior high/high school. The romance is chaste/tame and the "bad girl with a heart of gold" theme rocks my world.
1 like · like · see review
I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting,though in many ways "standard" for an historical romance. The setting, San Francisco and the gold fields at the beginning of the Gold Rush, was fascinating. Ms. Bristow's descriptions of the buildings and landscape gave me a much better understanding of that tumultuous time. I feel I learned a lot of history while reading of the trials and tribulations of Kendra and Marny.
This book was written in the 1950's. It has few swear words and very few mentions of sex. Wow! What a pleasant change! It's set in the gold fields of California in 1849. Lots of California history. I like California history and this seemed accurate based on my knowlege of that time and place. Characters that are believable and a good plot. Try it for a nice change of pace.
I mostly found it to be ok. It was interesting enough, contemplating that time period and the earlier years in the development of San Francisco, to which I've never been. I did particularly enjoy a chapter, about 61 or so, where two characters find sympathy and understanding on a very profound level, and I was touched. I was surprised at what the title came to refer to in the book, and I had a hard time caring about anything that happened to that building, as it's no place I'd ever visit!
Having...more
Having...more
I love this book. It's like an old friend to me. I first read it as a teenager and again about 15 years ago. Unfortunately my library discarded it but I finally found a copy on Ebay and I am reading it again. The characters are wonderful and colourful. I was just Googling San Francisco and found this book review site and wanted to add my comments. Thanks!
The book is about a young lady and her friends during the gold rush in San Francisco. It is historical fiction with a touch of romance. I enjoyed reading about the times and how tough it must have been to be involved in the gold rush. I would have enjoyed the book more but I was in a rush to get it back to the library so there was a little skimming. . .
May 03, 2009
Booklady
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-fiction,
adult-fiction
San Francisco in its raw and wild days at the time of the Gold Rush is the background for this book about a young girl who ventures into marriage, and then quickly into widowhood. The fires that swept San Francisco time and again, demolishing the matchstick housing, and the fortunes and gambling of these heady days are all part of this story.
I first read this when I was a teenager. For whatever reason, this book stuck in my mind and I sought it out again as an adult. I rarely read a book more than once. This one, which is a nice, entertaining escape, covers a period in history to which I feel oddly connected, and is a tale of great perseverance, I have devoured three times.
This may be the first book that I read that I determined never, never to throw out. It may not be a classic like "GWTW" but I don't know why not! Kendra, Marny, Hiram and Pocket are characters I will never forget. The San Francisco setting is wonderfully drawn. A little like a romance, but really not a romance at all.
This story takes place in San Fransisco during the gold rush. I hated it at first because the herione was such a whiny idiot, she but eventually grows up. This book solidified(once again) my belief that the past was miserable and hard and full of inconvenience and disease. But the book was very readable and entertaining.
I chose this book because I recently read this author's Plantation trilogy. This story is set in San Francisco at the beginning of the gold rush, and I found the historical background really interesting. The story, itself, wasn't as good as the Plantation trilogy. I'm going to try one more of hers, though.
Even though this book is really big, I really enjoyed it. So much so that I bought a copy at the library sale for 50 cents! I have read this book at least four or five times over the years.
It's a romance, set in San Francisco during the gold rush. Lots of fires, there's a casino, and a cat.
It's a romance, set in San Francisco during the gold rush. Lots of fires, there's a casino, and a cat.
I've read this book at least once every 5 years since I first found it in about 1978/79. It's an awesome story that makes you feel like you're on an adventure. Step back in time to the California Goldrush, the first settlers in San Francisco, a time warp with a little romance and a lot of action.
Read this book in high school and remembered it all through my life. It inspired me to love reading. I found that reading can take you on vacation in your mind and that's suits me fine since I don't have the money to do it in reality. I just read this book again probably in the last year.
May 18, 2008
Nicole
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
No one
Recommended to Nicole by:
Amazon.com
Things I liked about this book: It was set in Sacramento and San Francisco in the 1840's and there was SOME interesting tidbits about how these towns looked in that era.
Things I didn't like about this book: it was way too long (589 pages). It included very long boring details about what the main character, Kendra cooks for dinner and scurvy. Half way through the book, Kendra kind of sizzles out and suddenly the story is told through someone else's eyes (Kendra isn't even mentioned in the last 20...more
Things I didn't like about this book: it was way too long (589 pages). It included very long boring details about what the main character, Kendra cooks for dinner and scurvy. Half way through the book, Kendra kind of sizzles out and suddenly the story is told through someone else's eyes (Kendra isn't even mentioned in the last 20...more
This book is Gwen Bristow's nominal sequel to "Jubilee Trail" - that is, it features different characters, but is set in the 1848 California Gold Rush, which is just where Jubilee Trail left off. Many of the characters are similar to Jubilee Trail's - Kendra, a well-bred girl who marries a Gold Rush explorer and goes adventurer; Marny, the sassy card shark who is her best friend. I have to say the characters are not quite as compelling as Jubilee Trail's but there is still no better portrait of...more
This deserves 3.5 stars. Not as good as Jubilee Trail (which I gave 5 stars) but a good, satisfying read. If I was from Northern CA, I would have enjoyed it more, in that is focuses on the San Francisco area during the Gold Rush.
Rich, interesting historical fiction about one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. Some things I knew about it's history, others I learned from this delightful written novel. I loved the interesting charachters too.
My mom had this book and as I read this book as a teenager, I thought it was exciting and a bit racy! It still is a good read and will always be one I remember from my childhood.
This is the 2nd book I read by this author and I enjoyed both. This is a frontier story about the California Gold Rush - good story full of adventure, hardships, tenderness and humor.
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American author and journalist. She studied at Columbia University and afterwards wrote for a number of literary magazines and journals. Eventually she moved to New Orleans, and worked at the Times-Picayune. She became interested in longer forms of writing—novels and short stories—through her husband, screenwriter Bruce Manning, and published her first novel in 1929.
Bristow reached the pinnacle o...more
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