Native Gold - Glynnis Campbell
Let me say first that I adore Glynnis Campbell's writing style. I actively seek out her books because the way she describes scenes and characters is beyond compare. I looked forward to reading Native Gold, and, as usual, I was swept away by the results. She is a true poet.
The storyline involves our heroine, Mattie, who is orphaned into 1850s New York high society. Her parents had been wild spirits, and her straight-laced uncle just doesn't understand her or her artistic temperament. She runs away to the West, aiming for a fresh start in California. There she runs into Sakote, a member of the Konkow tribe. Much as with the many other depictions of this kind of interaction, there is first distrust and misunderstanding. Slowly, over time, they come to respect each other, then to love each other.
Part of what makes this story (and all stories by Glynnis) shine is her attention to detail. Clearly she didn't just glance at a webpage or two that talked about "Injuns of the Old West" and then toss in a reference to a tipi. There are all sorts of detailed descriptions of the bark-covered houses they lived in, their traditions, their food options, their music, and much more. It's smoothly integrated in a way that transports the reader to this beautiful time and location.
More than that, though, it's the poetry of her language which captivates me. Not only does she write beautifully, but she captures the soul of each person. It's not just that Sakote and Mattie both appreciate the natural world. They do so on their own way, through their own lens. Sakote has been raised to treasure the natural gifts of the landscape around him. When he looks at Mattie he thinks, "An escaped spiral of hair lay upon Mati’s cheek. He longed to take away the pins and let all the curls tumble like a waterfall. And that wretched dress...it was like the thorny covering of the gooseberry, concealing all the sweetness."
Then we have Mattie's first real look at the new world around her. "This land truly was a paradise. The air smelled sweet and clean, of fir and young grass, bay and wild mustard, and the landscape was alive with color. Dewfall painted the earth brick red, and every shade of green from light apple to deep moss colored the vegetation. The iridescent wings of the jay echoed the sky’s azure hue, and a full palette of yellows and whites, purples and oranges, dotted the clearing on the petals of wildflowers strewn across the emerald carpet."
It's a joy to read the story and satisfying to witness the blossoming relationship between the two characters.
Is the book perfect? Well, few are. There are a couple of minor issues I could quibble over. But they barely make a dent in how much I enjoy the language of the writing, the details of the world we visit, and the richness of the overall experience. I look forward to the next books in this series.
I purchased this book with my own funds.
Buy Native Gold from Amazon.com
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