Gold Mountain by Sharon Cullars

Gold Mountain by Sharon Cullars

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


This is a sweet, yet sensual historical that features the love story between a Chinese man and a Negro woman in the days of the Gold Rush in California. I was gleeful when my friend told me about it, since I love historical westerns, and I would love to read more with people of color. I was not disappointed.

I love the time and the detail that Ms. Cullars put into writing Chiang's viewpoint, and describing what it was like for Chinese immigrants in this time in history. Like blacks, they were horribly persecuted, treated as less than whites, given dangerous jobs for less pay, and subjected to violations of their basic rights. Despite that fact, Chiang is a man of great honor and dignity. I loved him immensely.

I thought that the courtship between Chiang and Leah was so sweet and captivating. It is nearly a love at first sight type scenario, although both take the time to examine their feelings and determine if they want to pursue a life together. Their chemistry is wonderful and it made me smile and have a warm heart as I read.

If I had any problems with this story, I would like it to be longer, and for there to be more of a physical description of Leah. Otherwise, this was just lovely. Man, I hope to read more stories about blacks and Asians in the west. That is surely my favorite historical setting, and I would like it be clear to all that the West was not just settled by whites. But don't me started on that.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a sweet but sexy story historical western with lovable characters, and a multicultural viewpoint that is typically left out of the history and fiction books.

I want to give this five stars, but since the last book I read was so much more profound, I will have to go with 4.5/5.0 stars, which is nothing to shake a stick at.



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