Walk on Earth a Stranger

I have a strange life; I know it well. We have a big homestead and not enough working hands, so I’m the girl who hunts and farms and pans for gold because her daddy never had sons. I

I have a strange life; I know it well. We have a big homestead and not enough working hands, so I’m the girl who hunts and farms and pans for gold because her daddy never had sons. I’m forever weary, my hands roughed and cracked, my skirts worn too thin too soon. The town girls poke fun at me, calling me “Plain Lee” on account of my strong hands and my strong jaw.

But there’s plenty I love about my life that makes it all just fine: the sunrise on the snowy mountain slopes, a mama and daddy who know my worth, that sweet tingle when a gold nugget sits in the palm of my hand.

"Now that I’m a girl, I’m treated like I’m nobody again, to be owned or herded or strung along, so helpless and awful that I must be redeemed or married off because it’s convenient for someone."

"Now that I’m a girl, I’m treated like I’m nobody again, to be owned or herded or strung along, so helpless and awful that I must be redeemed or married off because it’s convenient for someone."

"It’s a testament to my fine character that I don’t smash that Bible right into his nose."

“I’d rather be treated with respect than treated like a lady."

The story is about a girl Leah, aka Lee, who can feel gold and, of course, no one except her parents know about it. So this girl is pretty lonely and has one friend Jefferson, who is half Native American and has no other friends either. When Lee's parents are murdered by her uncle, who wants Lee's powers for himself, she flees Georgia, disguises herself as a boy and decides to travel to California, where gold rush era has recently started and what better place to use her abilities. Along the way she will meet friends, she will suffer and endure (all I love about my heroes), she will loose friends and she will mature.

Nothing out here is really fine or perfect. We just have to do the best we can.

Lee was a great narrative. I liked to be in her head. She was a strong young woman and she matured a lot through out the journey. Lee was strong when needed, and she was weak when there were no strengths to fight, to pretend, and she admitted her weaknesses. It made her a real person.

But, Lord, I’m weary. Weary of trying to be as good to Daddy as three sons, weary of working as hard as any man, weary of the other girls scorning me. And I’m weary of bearing this troubled soul, of knowing things could go very badly if someone learned about my gold-witching ways.

The world-building was amazing. It felt like I was really in that time, the atmosphere of that period, when people left their old lives behind and journeyed to their new lives. The path full of hopes and disappointments. But still, the smell of excitement, that when you arrive at your destination - a miracle will happen.
The descriptions of cities and ports of that time,

My first impression is of mud. It spatters off horse hooves and wagon wheels, stains the base of every building and the legs of every pair of trousers, mixes with half-melted snow to create a soup of gray and brown. The few buildings making up the town proper are painted muddy white or muddy red. Centered before the largest of these is the one bright spot: an American flag, whipping proudly from a high pole. It’s the new one, with a full thirty stars.
Surrounding the town are acres of tents and wagons, thousands of oxen and horses; even a few hasty shacks, spread over a vast, flat landscape of mud and snow. And beyond it all is a slow, muddy river, curving gently into the horizon and shimmering like gray silk in the early spring sun.

There's romance, but it is almost none exist and very subtle. But it was a great start of something beautiful, I can't wait to see how things will evolve in the next book.

All in all it was an amazing read. I don't have any complaints about the book. The historical department was realistic, the spirit of the gold rush era was masterly displayed by the author. MC was a reliable protagonist and furthermore, though we see the story through her eyes, there were a lot of other complex characters around, and every one of them had a story to tell. Rae Carson's writing was beautiful and heartfelt. I don't see any reason you shouldn't read this book. And gold rush era as it is is fascinating. If you want to follow this path with MCs - read this book and you will not be disappointed.