Eliza Waite

Eliza Waite was raped by her uncle and bore his child as a result. Her upper class Victorian family is humiliated and quickly marry her off to a preacher who’s headed West. A few years later, Eliza is alone on an island off the coast of Washington, her husband and son dead of smallpox. She’s perfectly content with her life on the island until a fall and a broken ankle bring her to the mainland. After a love affair with a man there goes wrong, Eliza decides to leave her island home and journey North to Alaska. There, in a gold rush town, with a best friend who runs a bordello, an unusual “stress” relieving device from her doctor, and a cast of unsavory, but good people, she will open her own bakery. This book hooked me from the first page. I really liked reading about her life in Alaska, but my favorite part of the book involved her solitary life on the island. Just beautiful

Thanks She Writes Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Rewarding in the non-traditional way of girl power in times of hardship! I love books set in places I'll never visit so I can experience something in all the ways love.

Ms. Sweeny has written a wonderful story of a young woman who lives with grief, loneliness and fear and yet I cannot say this is a sad book. I couldn't wit to get back to Eliza's tale whenever I had to put the book down. Ms. Sweeny's book is written in an enjoyable style that includes a few surprises.

This is a fascinating story of a young woman who survives tragedy and reinvents herself at the turn of the 20th century. The setting changes from the Missouri social scene, to living a tough life on one of the San Juan Islands, to Skagway Alaska during the Goldrush of 1898. Eliza Waite, as did many women of her time, had very little control over her life living under her fathers roof. It was only after her marriage and the tragic loss of her husband and son that she started to make her own choices on the type of life she wanted to lead. First time author Ashley E. Sweeney paints a historically accurate view of a woman on a journey of self discovery. In a time where the Woman's Suffragate Movement was just beginning, and only a few states allowed women the right to vote, I was fascinated with the idea of a woman striking out alone amidst unruly and rough men, surviving relatively unscathed, and in fact, building a thriving business. You can tell that the author researched each area and the people who lived there pretty thoroughly. She even starts out each chapter with a recipe for an item that Eliza has baked, or will bake that seems, without my trying to bake one of them, to be a real recipe. The measurements using teacups instead of cups. A touch, that adds charm and realism to the story.

I loved the every day accuracy of this novel. This was not a book that created a false warmth for the Alaska winter. This book had Eliza, dressed in threadbare clothing freezing as the wind whipped through her clothing, had miners smelling just awful, dirt squishing through toes and sores becoming infected. The contrast on my senses when Eliza was able to buy a new pair of gloves and her fingers were warmed. The smell of cinnamon permeating the air when she was baking, and light flashing from the fireworks helped set the scene in a realistic manner. The good and bad were contrasted so spectacularly, that even though every moment was not fun to read about, it made the end game that much more enjoyable.

As a woman, I enjoyed seeing Eliza come to the realization that life's experiences may not be easy, but it is better to take on the unknown alone, make her own choices and possibly make her own mistakes. This ultimately led her to a growth and happiness that she otherwise wouldn't have known.

This book will be released on May 16, 2016. Put this book on your wish list and pick up a copy when it comes out!

F 50x66 Kathleen Gray's review Feb 15, 16 · edit

really liked it

I'll try anything set in Alaska- and this is a well written novel of a woman's struggle. Loved that it was set in Skagway, liked that the women helped one another, liked that it was realistic. Very good show by Sweeney- I'll look for more from her.

A great story of one woman's journey, both physical and psychological, at the turn of the 20th century. The attention to detail paints a vivid picture of day-to-day life in Washington's San Juan Islands and then Skagway, Alaska, during the Klondike Gold Rush, and characters both real and fictional help bring that reality to life. Recipes for items used by the protagonist in the story add an extra touch of authenticity and color. Eliza's growth of confidence and independence is deftly handled, strongly written, and a treat to read.

Interesting read

I loved this book! Each time I opened it, I was transported into 1896-99 and lived right alongside Eliza; the descriptions of where and how she she lived, what she wore, were so vivid and beautifully described that I felt I was right there with her. This is why I read! I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Eliza, and her background story woven throughout. I found myself rooting for her all the way and wanting something good to happen to her. I loved when she went to Alaska and made a new life for herself, complete with her cafe, her friends, and her strength and spirit to make it. This is one terrific book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction!
Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for the opportunity to read this digital review copy.

4.5 stars

Kudos to Ms. Sweeney for such a refreshing piece of historical fiction. Too many strong female characters end up being tropes in unbelievable circumstances or acting anachronistically. Not so with Eliza Waite, who straddles the line between modern girl power and historical realism. The story follows Eliza's journey from Washington's San Juan Islands to Skagway, Alaska at the end of the nineteenth century -- unfamiliar territory for me! However, a few of the themes echoed my academic research, so I ended up enjoying it. My half-star quibble is personal, as I prefer a more flowing and varied writing style, but it did the job.

I would recommend "Eliza Waite" to fans of Geraldine Brooks' books (particularly "Year of Wonders" and "Caleb's Crossing").

I can confidently say that Eliza Waite will easily be in my top 10 books of the year for 2016. The writing is so stark and beautiful, the story so compelling. I couldn’t put this book down, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I finished reading.

Author Ashley Sweeney tells the story of Eliza Waite, a woman forging her own life at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in the American West. Eliza was born into a wealthy, but emotionally cold family in Columbia, Missouri. After her family casts her out, she travels west to an island off the coast of Washington where her husband has been assigned as pastor to the local church. When her husband and son die, Eliza must find the courage to strike out on her own.

This book is about more than a woman surviving in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, it is about finding and loving yourself. It is about surviving deep loss. It is about acceptance. It is about determination. I found myself grieving with Eliza and rooting for her to make it in an inhospitable environment. I also wondered if I would be strong enough to survive those consequences, and even if I could succeed in my own life. I came away believing that yes, I can survive and succeed. There was nothing superhuman about Eliza. She just believed in herself and kept working. She didn’t give up. And slowly, she started loving and believing in herself.

Sweeney doesn’t romanticize the period or the setting. She vividly brings to life the hardships and the icy cold of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska during the Gold Rush. It is a hard life, especially in contrast with Eliza’s privileged childhood. But she adapts and eventually thrives. The terrain is treacherous, but the mountains and the Northern lights are beautiful. The work is hard, but there is also opportunity. The people can be cruel, but there are also kindred spirits.

Lastly, I thoroughly enjoyed the regular recipes included in the narrative. Eliza finds refuge in baking and opens her own bakery once she reaches Alaska. The recipes that the author includes are authentic to the period. I loved the approximate measurements of ingredients. I use a kitchen full of equipment when I bake: kitchen scales, measuring spoons, measuring cups, mixers, and modern ovens. Eliza used the bare essentials and a wood burning oven. THAT is an expert baker. I am a mere amateur by comparison.

I admit I am a huge fan of historical fiction, but I believe this book will appeal to a wide range of readers. This book immerses you in the time and the place. It keeps you thinking about it, even when you are done.

Available May 16: Eliza Waite

***3.5/5 stars- Really liked itEliza Waite

This debut novel is a compelling story of a women's role in a dramatic and changing time in the Wild West.

Recommended readers:

Readers of Western History Those interested in the changing roles of women in the West Here's my Rankings:

3.5/5 for characters 3.5/5 for plot 3.5/5 overall REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

This debut novel explores one female's experience in the post Gold Rush era as a throng of desperate people travel to the Klondike. Eliza Waite is one of them. After losing her husband and son on the remote San Juan Islands off Washington, Eliza lives a stark, lonely life trying to make it on her own. Both a physical and emotional journey for Eliza ensue as she travels north to Alaska to find her way. Eliza Waite is a compelling story of a women's role in a dramatic and changing time in the western history.

Eliza Waite is be available on May 16.

I came across an essay published just a couple of days ago by the author of this debut novel where she tells of her inspiration for the character of Eliza Waite . Ashley Sweeney says that she and her husband "discovered an abandoned cabin on a cross-island hike on largely uninhabited Cypress Island in the San Juan Islands in the fall of 2008. The cabin sat in sad disrepair: sagging roof, rotting beams, and the evidence of rodent and raccoon feces.

Who had lived in this cabin? And why?

Near the cabin, a small plaque commemorates a Mrs. Zoe Hardy, who lived alone at the location in the 1930s. A recluse, Mrs. Hardy farmed the land surrounding the cabin, eschewed strangers, and died mysteriously after a short illness. Her body was never found.

I decided that day that a novel set in that locale could be equally mysterious and intriguing. The core of the story evolved over the first two years, and as the years progressed, the story grew with the protagonist, and the protagonist grew with the story. " (http://nwbooklovers.org/2016/05/20/northwest-inspiration/)

While I don't know any more about Mrs. Hardy other than what Ashley Sweeney says , she must have been a gutsy woman . I love reading stories which portray gutsy women from the past and Eliza Waite is definitely not an exception. She's independent and tough and survives on her own under harsh conditions doing the physical work of a man , while surviving her grief and loss. How did this woman from a family of means come from Columbia, Missouri to live in this desolate , stark cabin on an island off the coast of Seattle , this rough existence in the late 1890's? She has nothing but her memories and her recipes both of which are interspersed throughout the story . It is through these flashbacks that we come to know her story and that while she is tough, she is also vulnerable . I'm not a baker but yet I loved reading these recipes with "teacups" of flour and butter.

In this desolate place , there are amazing descriptions of the landscape and we get such a clear sense of the place . The same holds true when Eliza arrives in Skagway, Alaska to start a new life and open a bakery. It's the Klondike and it's the Goldrush and it's 1898 and Sweeney took me there . It's also the time when women are seeking the vote , when Kate Chopin is writing stories that women like Eliza want to read. But while so much happens around her , this really is the story of one woman and her journey to finding herself. I will definitely look to see what Sweeney has to offer in the future.

Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley.

This historic novel is set in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska during the late 18oos and early 1900s. It is a part of the world I have never visited, and Ashley Sweeney’s vivid and carefully researched descriptions of these harsh and beautiful landscapes make me yearn to go. Of course it will thankfully be very different now from those places as experienced by Eliza Waite, the strong woman at the heart of this story. In fact the story is very much focused almost exclusively on Eliza, with other human characters very peripheral. The physical environments and Eliza’s passion for baking are the other two major characters here (and yes I tried two of the recipes, once I worked out what saleratus was!) Part One of the book reflects Eliza’s solitary and poverty-stricken existence and is not a light page turner. But it is worth persevering as in Part Two, when Eliza makes the life-changing psychological and physical shift to Alaska and a new love for herself, the story brightens and deepens. Eliza’s character arc from the start to end of the book is realistic, subtle, but immense, a sign of very good writing by this debut novelist. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review.