Rosette: A Novel of Pioneer Michigan

by Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Why did she edit her wedding-day journal? Almost-spinster schoolteacher Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell married Otis Churchill on a Michigan farm in 1857. Her real-life journal recounts two years of homesteading, history hints at the next six decades, and the novel explores the truth. We meet Rosette in 1888 as she revises the wedding-day page of her journal. In lush detail, in the voices of Rosette and others, the novel traces how we both choose and suffer our destiny, how hopes come to naught and sometimes rise from the wreckage. In a style reminiscent of Willa Cather, in a family saga that recalls the work of Marilynne Robinson, this novel brings us enduring themes of human life as Rosette and her friends and family make the most of the American pioneer life first detailed for most of us by Laura Ingalls Wilder. One reviewer says this story "makes an anonymous woman equal to the most celebrated hero of legend." Note that the Kindle version includes only the text of the novel. The paperback version includes 24 charcoal illustrations and highlights in a font created from Rosette's own handwriting. Now a companion short story - " A Story of Dakota Territory."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 23, 2016

Reviews

[Bet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a perfect read for those who like historical novels set in the American pioneer days. The novel is based on a journal that Cindy Marsch's mother found in a thrift store. Rosette's story, supplemented by the points of view of her husband, brother, and mother, is a compelling and a fascinating look into the life of a pioneer family in Michigan before the Civil War. After reading the book, connect to the website (Rosettebook.com) to learn more about Rosette and her times.

[Karen Charbonneau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosette is a seamless narrative. Other reviewers have explained the circumstances of Marsch's writing Rosette; I won't duplicate it. My advice to a new reader - allow yourself time to find the rhythm of the novel's phrasing. The 1850s were a more formal time, in manners and speech. Be caught up in Rosette's life as I was. As a student of history, I waited for the small mistake of fact. I found none. You may use this novel as a window into pre-Civil War rural Michigan. I knew that after the virgin timber of Michigan was harvested, homesteaders moved in, preparing their new land for the plow by setting fires beneath the remaining huge stumps (in later years they dynamited them). What does Rosette comment on - the yellow pall of smoke always in the air as the land is slowly cleared. You gain an understanding of why relatives from other states settled near relatives in this new land - interdependence was necessary for survival. Rosette and Marsch demonstrate this so well. Farms were closer than in the American west, and there was socializing and exchange of ideas. And they were never idle. The story of Rosette's and Otis's mismatched marriage is subtle and will break your heart. Rosette was not meant to be a farm wife. It took a strong man and a strong woman to successfully build a paying farm. Otis may seem harsh, but I felt sympathy for him, working for others, unable to quickly construct the large house he'd promised Rosette before they married. Marsch's writing is wonderful. Other reviewers have likened this novel to the works of Willa Cather and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I agree. Karen Charbonneau, Author of Marble Creek, The Wolf's Sun, et al

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

GAB I received a Kindle copy of this book from Cindy Rinaman Marsch in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Ms. Marsch, for sharing your hard work with me!

Cindy Rinaman Marsch has done a wonderful job of fleshing out this novel around the journal entries of Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell Churchill. This is a novel you cannot put down, and it ends much too soon - I would love to be able to follow the lives of the remaining children.

The characters are complex, the details well defined and picturesque, and the time frame is spot-on. I found myself fascinated in following the trail of footnotes throughout this novel. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys history, the frontier, and early America. There are many extras offered with the purchase of this book - check them out!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely, engrossing story, based on the diary of the real-life Rosette, will be much loved by those who have treasured the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Caddie Woodlawn. It offers a glimpse into a pioneer girl-becoming-woman, her daily life, and relationships with family.

[Roxie Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog at [Roxie Writes].

I was contacted by Cindy Rinaman Marsch about her works, a short story entitled “Blizzard” and a novel called ‘Rosette’, and from her email alone, I couldn’t wait to dive into these stories. Unfortunately, I had a couple other works ahead of them in my TBR, so I was on pins and needles until I could get to them. The story behind the works is intriguing enough!

Cindy Rinaman Marsch’s mother found a journal written by Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell-Churchill (her fourteenth one, specifically) in the 1850s at a junk shop in 2003, and she told her daughter she had to “write this story”. Marsch had always wanted to write, but life, as it often does, had gotten in the way. Thirty years after she had gone to school for creative writing and literature, and after her mother passed away leaving her a few thousand dollars, Marsch finally set out to tell Rosette’s touching story and bring her back to life.

With the help of her own daughter, Betsy Marsch, a talented artist who illustrated the paperback version, Cindy crafted a truly beautiful book from Rosette’s journal entries. Rosette was a remarkable woman, headstrong in her own way, and ahead of her time in a lot of ways. I can certainly understand why Cindy – and her mother – felt that Rosette’s story needed to be told.

This is an excerpt from the email Cindy sent me: “Little historical detail exists for Rosette beyond this journal and some census and city directory and legal records, and her descendants have mostly died out. But in 1894, when she was in her sixties, she wrote two letters to a magazine expressing her opinions on suffrage and women’s clothing (bloomers in particular). In telling her story, I feel I have brought her back to life in a way, but at least given her a voice for our generations to read.”

If there was ever a perfect set of stories to showcase in my #yearofindiewomen, it is certainly these for their origin story alone, and I feel honored to have been given the chance to read them. Historical fiction is not usually a genre I read, and I wouldn’t have found these myself if Cindy had not brought them to my attention. (And if not for Katherine Hayton, who I had reviewed previously and recommended me to Cindy, so thank you Katherine!) I truly feel enriched having read these stories, as though I have gained something intrinsically. As if I have made a friend, in a bizarre way, in Rosette, and I thank you, Cindy, for telling her story. You did a beautiful job. Your mother would be proud.

Most of the time, when I agree to read/review for an author, I request ebooks because it’s what I prefer to read and it’s a lot more convenient/cheaper for the author to provide, but for 'Rosette’, Cindy was kind enough to send me a paperback copy! I will admit that I still read most of the book on my Kindle simply because it’s how I’m most comfortable reading, but I am in absolute awe of how beautiful this novel is. Betsy Marsch’s illustrations truly bring this story to life, and the layout of this book is breathtaking. Not to mention the cover! The cover is truly stunning. In my review below, I have taken some photos to showcase just how well put together this book is.

I look forward to passing this book on to my mother-in-law, who I know is going to love it. That, I think, is the best testament a story – when you know immediately someone you want to read it, too.

But without any further ado, let me get to the actual review.

'Rosette’ by Cindy Rinaman Marsch

4/5
Finished on August 25, 2016
GIVEN A FREE COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR HONEST REVIEW
FREE on Kindle Unlimited | $3.99 on Kindle | $13.99 in Paperback

Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell is almost a spinster when she finally marries Otis Churchill in 1857. Her journal records their life together as they homestead in pioneer Michigan. It’s a hard life, and over the next six decades, the novel traces how we both choose and suffer our destiny, how hopes come to naught and sometimes rise from the wreckage.

I read this book as part of my #yearofindiewomen.

Just like “Blizzard” this is a beautifully written novel that tells a story of a woman with a well of inner strength and wisdom that runs deeper than I think she ever realizes. She certainly never realized how beautifully she wrote. Her family, especially her mother realized it, though.

Marsch set out to bring Rosette back to life, and she succeeded. But not only did she bring Rosette back to life, but she brought all of Rosette’s family back, too. Each chapter is told from a different point of view, which I really liked, and it made all of the people in Rosette’s life all the more real. Her journal entries are poignant enough on their own, but with Marsch’s help, these people became alive again.

And Betsy Marsch’s beautiful illustrations are truly something else. If you read this book as an ebook, I highly recommend getting this as a paperback for the illustrations. The cover itself is gorgeous, but the illustrations really brighten the story, and you can tell that there was so much thoughtfulness and effort put into every aspect of this book. It’s honestly touching, and I hope that where ever Rosette’s family is, they know about this book and are thankful for it because I know I would be.

Even if historical fiction isn’t a genre you typically read, I hope you’ll give this book a read. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosette has been on my “to-read” list for over a year, and I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. I was intrigued by the teaser - why did she edit her wedding day journal entry? I only wish there had been more details!

I love historical fiction and I especially enjoy it when it is based on real people. The story is not action packed or overly dramatic. It reminded me a bit of the Dear America series for young adults I read (and loved!) when I was younger.

Cindy’s writing is beautiful and the story flowed well even when switching between different character’s narratives. I finished Rosette ready for more - Blizzard and the all extras mentioned in the afterword.

[Elizabeth Horst · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a plot full of twists or adventure, this isn't your book. But I recommend that, even if you feel bogged down with details in the early chapters, you settle in and keep reading. Those details about the weather and the neighbors and relations are carefully crafted to give you a window into a way of life foreign to our own, but filled with a beauty and sweetness which the pioneers themselves may not have noticed until they lost it. The pleasure of this novel comes from the way Marsch unearths that beauty from the simple prose of Rosette's journal, and fills it out for us.

The window isn't rose-colored, either. The many-voiced writing never falls into sentimentalism. It depicts a life that is hard work, with plenty of grief. But the fabric of that world emerges as something wholesome. A world where people's lives and work are intermingled with those of their neighbors; where evenings are full of visits; where neighbors share in each other's work, and find an excuse for a party in apple-peeling or house-raising or sugar-making. Where, in true agrarian fashion, husbands and wives and children all share the same main concern, the welfare of the household amidst a harsh landscape. In light of the coming tragedies we know about—the Civil War and divorce—the desires and small triumphs of their life gain significance: a house of one's own; a hard-working husband; good neighbors; the cat Rosette wants; Solomon's blue door.

Only once I had finished the book did I truly appreciate it's construction. The opening chapter sets up the question that drives the whole story, although it becomes apparent only gradually, little by little gaining emotional force.

I think the novel answers this driving question in a satisfyingly nuanced way. You could almost take Rosette for a tale in miniature of America's entrance into modernity: with the lost innocence, the parting of ways, and the hopes forcibly reshaped to fit a post-war industrial landscape. And yet war and the railroad aren't the only enemies. These only exacerbate other human problems, the kind that resonate with us a century and a half later, and make us feel deeply with Rosette.

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Helen Hollick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
" A gentle story of family life in an era where life was hard and yet simple pleasures mean everything. A wonderful snapshot into a lost world. "

Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs

[Janie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction read based on true events and past documents of Rosette's family. Very interesting, as it describes living in the cold climate in Michigan, making a living and surviving.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book opens in 1888 with Rosette’s reflection on her decision to leave her marriage two years earlier, abandon her children who are mostly grown and take the train from Michigan to Dakota Territory to live with her oldest son. This reflection written by the author, emerges from the fragment of a journal entry where Rosette has crossed out her description of her wedding day and inserts “Unholy and Unhappy bonds of marriage” and describes her feelings as “sincerely DETEST and ABHOR."

Marsch then takes us back to an earlier life, introducing the journal of Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell in September 1856. Rosette is an amazingly literate woman, school teacher and accomplished seamstress living in rural Michigan. The story follows Rosette through the courtship, marriage and births of her children and introduces us to members of her family. Marsch uses the brief excerpts from Rosette’s journal to provide authenticity to the story.

Marsch presents a story consistent with the journal, which she found and translated, and continues much of the language from it, inventing facts in the story only when necessary. Confessing that she is “fascinated by books that reveal whole persons by unearthing and sometimes embellishing the primary source materials," she has offered a gift to the memory of Rosette and her family. Other than the journal, she found only scraps of information. Rosette and her husband Otis have disappeared into history.

Although I wished for a little more mystery and drama as I read the story, I admire what Marsch has accomplished and followed the story to the end. Rosette gives us an authentic picture of rural life in Michigan in the last half of the 1800’s. That makes it fascinating for those of us interested in history.

[Kelly Alberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rosette is a beautifully written and deeply moving novel that breathes life into history with remarkable grace. From the very first page, the story pulls you into the world of Rosette Cordelia Ramsdell a woman whose quiet strength, struggles, and choices resonate across generations. The narrative, woven through her journal and the voices of those around her, is both intimate and epic, touching on timeless themes of love, destiny, sacrifice, and resilience.

[Gwilda Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

I grew up in this area and loved reading about so many things I had heard in my childhood from my mother and grandmother. And remembered eating " pie Plant " pie that my mother used to make. I'm 74 now and would love to have another piece of that pie! Enjoy this book, the way of the past!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of pioneer life in Michigan. It is based on a journal kept by Rosette Ramsdell, and even though the author warned that it didn't have a storybook ending, I was captivated by the narrative of life in the middle of the 19th century.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I am from Michigan and love historical fiction so it checked two boxes. I loved hearing about the everyday lives of these pioneers, especially in Rosette’s own words. The additions made by the author were very authentic. Very worth the read!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written; I always appreciate when an author crafts vocabulary and phrasing authentic to the period. The varying first-person narrative perspectives cleverly demonstrate the characters' blind spots and the differing expectations they bring to marriage.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept

The concept was a little interesting but I struggled to stay focused on the story. I don't know if the fault is mine or the authors.

[Anita]

I am not interested in this one

[Cate Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

[Pam McCallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

History of Michigan pioneers.

This was an interesting and quick read of what life was like for the pioneers in Western/Central Michigan. These areas are literally less than ten miles from my home which was intriguing. It was also very realistic and like real life, does not always include happy endings.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by the idea of this book since the author (who is a friend and provided me with a free review copy) first started talking about writing it. The book is based on a pioneer woman's journal discovered in a thrift shop. The real hook? Some of the journal was later crossed out and rewritten because Rosette Churchill, the diarist, radically changed her impressions about events and people in her life.
Another reader described this as " 'Little House on the Prairie' for grownups," and I think that's an excellent description. There's the same level of detail about pioneer life (I can still remember Laura and Mary playing with an inflated animal bladder as a kind of balloon), but with an adult sensibility: Otis Churchill is often overwhelmed by the stench of cloth diapers in their shanty, for example. There's also some truly lovely writing: "my son breaks the bones of the earth to farm here," and "I make little stitches of the letters laid down in my book, binding up the days in remembrance as if smocking a baby's dress in fine detail."
I became engrossed by this world because I knew that Rosette and her family had been actual people, and the question of what went wrong in her marriage was all the more compelling because it had actually happened. I wish we could have known more about how Rosette and Otis came to separate. but my frustration with my ultimate understanding about this couple is also a testament to how real they became to me by the end of the book.

[Cindy Marsch]

A word from the author . . .

In the years I have lived with Rosette's original journal and then this novel as it formed itself in my mind and in print, I have come to know as much about myself as about her and those around her. Having a long-distance view of the major events of her life (births, deaths, marriages, etc.) and an intimate read of her journal of 1856-58 allowed me to inhabit her world. It was tempting to pass judgment on her whole complicated life. But I could not help but see my own hopes and disappointments - resolutions and failures - in her. As I tell people, Rosette is not my favorite person, but she is compelling, and I am privileged to have known her and to introduce the world to her.

Rosette features also in the short story "Blizzard: A Story of Dakota Territory," which serves as a sort of prequel to the novel but can also stand alone (and set the appetite for the novel).

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. They all developed clearly as the book progressed, and I hope to meet them in another book. I keep thinking of it as a Little House book featuring young adults.

[Awesome Indies Book Awards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include ROSETTE A Novel of Pioneer Michigan by CINDY RINAMAN MARSCH in the library of Awesome Indies' Seal of Excellence recipients.