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Spunky, stubborn, and adventurous, Elisabeth ‘Lizzie’ Hoffman is not your ordinary midwestern girl. The daughter of a rancher, Lizzie has a bit of a tomboy streak in her. Her role model is Annie Oakley, and she dreams of being a rancher when she grows up and traveling the world. After a family tragedy, the Hoffmans move to Flagstaff, AZ, where Lizzie continues to grow into an extraordinary, independent young woman. From catching the eye of rough cowboy Ed Geddes to traveling up to Yukon to pan for gold, there’s no lack of excitement in Lizzie’s life. But as she starts to settle down, a dark premonition from her childhood creeps back into her mind. Will Lizzie be able to forge her own destiny, or is she just on a path to misfortune?
Set in the late 1800s, this fictionalized diary-style novel captures the adventurous, American spirit of those times through the likable protagonist of Lizzie. She is naïve but brave, intelligent, and has a good heart. The reader can’t help but cheer for her. The author, who is a Hoffman descendent, does a great job of taking historical information and crafting a compelling narrative of life out West and giving Lizzie a believable voice. The diary-style format is popular in historical fiction, and is well-suited for this cowgirl story, although the pacing seems off at times. The variance between short and long entries mimics a real diary, and the author adds inspirational quotes or summarizing thoughts at the end of each chapter, giving it a unique touch.