All Bets Off

by Jamie clevenger

Bette Lawrence is about to find out how hard life can be for someone of low society standing in the 1900's. Helping take care of her family is expected and Bette steps right into the challenge.When Bette meets Sarah Douglas, the daughter of a wealthy importer and a past employer of her father, Bette is snubbed. Then a chance meeting at a masquerade party allows them to explore a friendship without Sarah knowing Bette's identity.When an earthquake sets San Francisco on fire for three days, Bette is forced to take care of not only her own family but Sarah's as well.Will Bette be able to rebuild her family's lifestyle and still develop a relationship with Sarah.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Lesbian, Fiction, Historical

Paperback

First published May 31, 2006

Reviews

[Misha · Rating 3 out of 5]

CW: Animal death

This was interesting as a historical fiction account of a real earthquake in San Francisco. I would have enjoyed it more if the realism extended to the characters because they feel rather shallow/oddly characterised, and it threw me off. I did appreciate the detail of the historical earthquake and fires, and that the main character is a 17-year-old girl in that time who is thrust into the role of the eldest child and in charge of taking care of far too many people.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous historical story. Will be on my read again list.

[AGC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It holds a special place in my heart.
My grandmother was four years old when the SF quake occurred and she told stories about living in a tent in GG Park. She attended the yearly survivors dinner every year until her death in 2000.
The research done for this story was amazing and I’m sure time consuming. I’m sure I’ll be reading again.