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Sunfire #24
Gabrielle
Is it the showboat magic that makes him love her? She's a showboat star. Will she have to give it up for love? Sixteen-year-old Gabrielle Prentice is practicing a new tight rope act for her father's showboat on the banks of the Mississippi River when she falls into the arms of a handsome young farmer -- and in love. She soon finds that being in love with David Wesley isn't easy. Mrs. Wesley, his mother, looks down on showboat people, and showboat people, especially the talented, aloof Stephen Dubois, do not think mush of farmers. But Gabrielle is determined to pursue her dream of life on land. She convinces her father to let her accept an invitation grudgingly extended by Mrs. Wesley to spend a week on the family farm. Life on the farm is not what Gabrielle had imagined. David is different, too. Has Gabrielle been dreaming of the wrong love? And is she ready to face what she really wants?
217 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
2 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Mary Francis Shura
42 books22 followersMary Francis Young was born on 23 February 1923 in Pratt, Kansas, the daughter of Jack Fant and Mary Francis (Milstead) Young. When she was very young, her family moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she raised. She studied at Maryville State College. On 24 October 1943, she married Daniel Charles Shura, who died in 1959. They had two children: Marianne Francis Shura (Spraguc) and Daniel Charles Shura. On 8 December 1961, she married Raymond C. Craig, they had a daughter Alice Barrett Craig (Stout), before their divorce.
Since 1960, she wrote over 50 books of various genres: children's adventures and teen-romances as Mary Francis Shura, M. F. Craig, and Meredith Hill; gothic novels as Mary Craig; romance novels as Alexis Hill, Mary Shura Craig and Mary S. Craig; and suspense novels as M. S. Craig.
Her children's novel "The Search for Grissi" received the Carl Sandburg Literary Arts Award in 1985, and she also was nominated to the Young Hoosier Book Award. In 1990, she was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.
She lived in Hinsdale, Illinois, where her apartment burned on 13 December 1990. At 67, she died of injuries suffered in the fire on 12 January 1991 in Loyola University Medical Burn Center in Maywood.
Since 1960, she wrote over 50 books of various genres: children's adventures and teen-romances as Mary Francis Shura, M. F. Craig, and Meredith Hill; gothic novels as Mary Craig; romance novels as Alexis Hill, Mary Shura Craig and Mary S. Craig; and suspense novels as M. S. Craig.
Her children's novel "The Search for Grissi" received the Carl Sandburg Literary Arts Award in 1985, and she also was nominated to the Young Hoosier Book Award. In 1990, she was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.
She lived in Hinsdale, Illinois, where her apartment burned on 13 December 1990. At 67, she died of injuries suffered in the fire on 12 January 1991 in Loyola University Medical Burn Center in Maywood.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 2, 2015
I remember these books from when I was growing up--wish I could find them in a used bookstore somewhere!
September 17, 2015
Waxing Nostalgic#9- Gabrielle is by my favorite Sunfire author, Shura. I enjoy reading about life on a river boat. I think it would be fascinating. I love the idea of family among the performers. In this book, Gabrielle spends most of her time with only one suitor. I usually do not prefer this but Shura is a good writer and she gives both men a purpose and character.
September 14, 2008
This was the first romance novel I ever read, I still have it- I chose it since my name is Gabriella- I don't remember too much about it and should probably read it again, but I do know that it never furthered my interest in romance novels...
September 3, 2015
I think that Shura reused the plot from Jessica but with a more original setting.
August 15, 2014
one of the first romance novels i ever read, I was in high school and i reread this book many times, I loved it
September 12, 2014
Eh. Gabrielle was fine, but her stalkers heroes kind of suck.
May 17, 2019
*Rereading my way through the Sunfire series, in publication order*
Although not a deep story, GABRIELLE manages a good romance, solid character growth, and a nice amount of historical detail of the life on a showboat in the 1880s.
Gabrielle Prentice grew up on her father's showboat, singing and acting. The boat's troupe are her family, but she's desperate for all of them to stop seeing her as a child. Although she won't admit it, she also wants to impress and get approval from young Stephen Dubois, the talented, yet arrogant new dancer on the boat. One week when weather forces them to shore, she secretly begins practicing a tightrope act that she thinks will do the trick. She's discovered by David Wesley, a farmboy, who is enchanted with this vision of a girl walking around up in the treetops. She's intrigued by him, he's positively smitten and begins following the ship from shore for a chance to propose to this girl he's talked to for all of three minutes. Rather than being utterly creeped out by his stalking, Gabrielle tells her father that she wants to get to know David better. Here's where I started to give the book some side eye. Her father exchanges letters with David's unwelcoming mother to set up a meeting between the two. Meanwhile Gabrielle debuts her new tightrope act, which is a smashing success. In the midst of her her success, she's invited to spend a week at the Wesleys' farm, getting to know David. He instantly declares his undying love for her and shows her where he's going to build their house. Gabrielle, more sensible than I gave her credit for, refuses to go along with it, reminds David they hardly know each other, and pushes him away. He then starts getting grabby, multiple times, and she really pushes him away. Why did she agree to come for a week, he asks angrily, if she didn't want him all over her? Thankfully Gabrielle found that question just as repellent as I did and, when the week ends, she returns very happily to the boat. Stephen is waiting for her and respectfully asks if he can begin to court her. This felt sudden to me, coming only in the last few pages of the book, but Gabrielle also acknowledged its suddenness, telling Stephen that she'd like to, but that there was no rush. Being a better man, he agreed that she was worth the wait.
Although not a deep story, GABRIELLE manages a good romance, solid character growth, and a nice amount of historical detail of the life on a showboat in the 1880s.
Gabrielle Prentice grew up on her father's showboat, singing and acting. The boat's troupe are her family, but she's desperate for all of them to stop seeing her as a child. Although she won't admit it, she also wants to impress and get approval from young Stephen Dubois, the talented, yet arrogant new dancer on the boat. One week when weather forces them to shore, she secretly begins practicing a tightrope act that she thinks will do the trick. She's discovered by David Wesley, a farmboy, who is enchanted with this vision of a girl walking around up in the treetops. She's intrigued by him, he's positively smitten and begins following the ship from shore for a chance to propose to this girl he's talked to for all of three minutes. Rather than being utterly creeped out by his stalking, Gabrielle tells her father that she wants to get to know David better. Here's where I started to give the book some side eye. Her father exchanges letters with David's unwelcoming mother to set up a meeting between the two. Meanwhile Gabrielle debuts her new tightrope act, which is a smashing success. In the midst of her her success, she's invited to spend a week at the Wesleys' farm, getting to know David. He instantly declares his undying love for her and shows her where he's going to build their house. Gabrielle, more sensible than I gave her credit for, refuses to go along with it, reminds David they hardly know each other, and pushes him away. He then starts getting grabby, multiple times, and she really pushes him away. Why did she agree to come for a week, he asks angrily, if she didn't want him all over her? Thankfully Gabrielle found that question just as repellent as I did and, when the week ends, she returns very happily to the boat. Stephen is waiting for her and respectfully asks if he can begin to court her. This felt sudden to me, coming only in the last few pages of the book, but Gabrielle also acknowledged its suddenness, telling Stephen that she'd like to, but that there was no rush. Being a better man, he agreed that she was worth the wait.
August 30, 2019
Basic Plot: Gabrielle decides if life on land or on her father's showboat is what she wants.
I remember reading this and a bunch of the other Sunfire romance novels when I was an early teen. I acquired a couple through the ubiquitous Scholastic reading catalogues sent home from school and managed to find a few more at the local public library. I genuinely liked them at the time. They provided a little bit of historical tidbit in with the love stories, and featured young women who fought for what they wanted and didn't just stand by waiting for things to happen.
Gabrielle being a theatre person (showboats are theatres, too!) made her someone I liked a lot. There was a distinct divide in culture between "show people" and "other people" at the time that the book really dealt with both clearly and well. Show people were not well respected at all, and were frankly looked down upon as charlatans and whores. The treatment Gabrielle got at the hands of the farm family was enraging, even when I was younger. The love triangle was equally infuriating, as it was really obvious to the reader which young man would be better for her life and sanity.
I remember reading this and a bunch of the other Sunfire romance novels when I was an early teen. I acquired a couple through the ubiquitous Scholastic reading catalogues sent home from school and managed to find a few more at the local public library. I genuinely liked them at the time. They provided a little bit of historical tidbit in with the love stories, and featured young women who fought for what they wanted and didn't just stand by waiting for things to happen.
Gabrielle being a theatre person (showboats are theatres, too!) made her someone I liked a lot. There was a distinct divide in culture between "show people" and "other people" at the time that the book really dealt with both clearly and well. Show people were not well respected at all, and were frankly looked down upon as charlatans and whores. The treatment Gabrielle got at the hands of the farm family was enraging, even when I was younger. The love triangle was equally infuriating, as it was really obvious to the reader which young man would be better for her life and sanity.
March 18, 2023
This one was almost a thriller because one of the two guys on this cover was an absolutely terrible, spoiled person. I'm glad she had a high sense of self throughout but wish she had more time with her female friend.
July 3, 2017
I originally read this series back in the 80s, checking them out from my elementary school library. Having re-read them as an adult I think they stand the test of time and are still relevant as far as historical fiction is concerned.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews