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Books set during the Gold Rush

  • Submitted: 16th November 2021

Novels set during the Gold Rush

Feeling the pinch with Christmas coming up? Think about the people who travelled miles and miles to try and improve their life in the Gold Rush. They were promised great wealth and a new life in a new place but often the reality was far different.

Several novels contain stories about these journeys and the emotions of the time. Let’s start with a story of a journey to New Zealand.

Books set during the Gold Rush

Your literary travel itinerary

New Zealand

Northern California

The Klondike

Alchemy and Rose

 

NEW ZEALAND

Alchemy and Rose

Set mainly in New Zealand, a couple travel to the gold fields to try and set up a  new life but there is one tragedy after another rand the couple are separated. Events conspire to keep them apart and then someone enters the woman’s life and her life starts to go in an unexpected direction.

Daughter of Fortune Isabel Allende

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Daughter of Fortune Isabel Allende

A woman born in Chile falls in love and follows the man to San Francisco at the peak of the Gold Rush period. Once there however, she finds the city and country very strange and everything is obsessed with gold fever.

Klondike the Last Great Gold Rush

THE KLONDIKE

Klondike the Last Great Gold Rush

With the building of the railroad and the settlement of the plains, the North West was opening up. This is the story of those who where there and who experienced al the highs and lows of that time. What a bunch of characters! There’s a dance hall queen, paupers turned millionaire, missionaries and real life legendary figures.

Klondike Cat

KLONDIKE

The Klondike Cat

A lovely book for children about a family who join the gold rush but who can’t bear to leave their cat behind.

Gypsy Lesley Pearse

And last but not least…..an epic tour of the Klondike region now from Lesley Pearse

Gypsy by Lesley Pearse

Fifteen-year-old Beth lives with her brother Sam and baby sister Molly and are devastated when they are left as orphans. They met charismatic gambler Theo and sharp-witted Londoner, Jack before they all head for the dangerous mountains of Canada and the Klondike river in search of gold.

What will become of Beth and her fellow adventurers?

 

Happy literary travels through the Gold Rush regions!

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