What do you think?
Rate this book
Rose #1
Rosebloom
Librarian Note: Alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B004YWGCCA.
Step into the life of Rose, a precocious young girl in 1930s Wisconsin, who runs away from home to avoid what she sees as a certain path to marriage and motherhood. What she seeks is adventure. What she finds is much more.
Rose is thrown into the lives of the varied people and towns of the Mississippi while working on river boats, going to a prep school in St. Louis where she lives with a black family in the Ville, and working in a bordello in New Orleans (not as a call girl, of course. She is a Catholic girl from the Midwest after all). What she doesn't anticipate are the close relationships that develop with many of the women she encounters. She also discovers the harshness of the world far away from the security of home. Ultimately, Rose realizes what is most important in her life: her family and her friends.
Rosebloom takes place at a time in history that buffets Rose between the great depression and the coming wave of World War II. She gets herself into situations through her naiveté and also just by chance that test her resolve and teach her not only about herself but about the world of others which she would have never know if she hadn't left her small farm in Southwest Wisconsin.
A percentage of the profits of each book sold will be donated to help in the education of disadvantaged children, because Christine believes that knowledge is a powerful tool.
Step into the life of Rose, a precocious young girl in 1930s Wisconsin, who runs away from home to avoid what she sees as a certain path to marriage and motherhood. What she seeks is adventure. What she finds is much more.
Rose is thrown into the lives of the varied people and towns of the Mississippi while working on river boats, going to a prep school in St. Louis where she lives with a black family in the Ville, and working in a bordello in New Orleans (not as a call girl, of course. She is a Catholic girl from the Midwest after all). What she doesn't anticipate are the close relationships that develop with many of the women she encounters. She also discovers the harshness of the world far away from the security of home. Ultimately, Rose realizes what is most important in her life: her family and her friends.
Rosebloom takes place at a time in history that buffets Rose between the great depression and the coming wave of World War II. She gets herself into situations through her naiveté and also just by chance that test her resolve and teach her not only about herself but about the world of others which she would have never know if she hadn't left her small farm in Southwest Wisconsin.
A percentage of the profits of each book sold will be donated to help in the education of disadvantaged children, because Christine believes that knowledge is a powerful tool.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2008
124 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Christine Keleny
21 books63 followersI am a writer, reader, author, editor, book designer and publisher. I am a mother of two, grown, children and a wife. I like working with my hands, so when the need or desire arises, I crochet, sew, tile, paint, cross stitch, frame pictures, stain furniture, cut and split fire wood, x-country ski, train and ride horses…
But my main loves are writing and helping others publish the book of their dreams. I started writing in college (a while ago!) and haven't stopped since. I'm having the time of my life!
But my main loves are writing and helping others publish the book of their dreams. I started writing in college (a while ago!) and haven't stopped since. I'm having the time of my life!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 5, 2021
"Rosebloom", the first in the Rose series by Christine Keleny, is headed to my "favorites" list.
The story begins in 1930's Wisconsin, where Rose is a young lady with huge dreams that do not include marriage and motherhood. She comes from a large, loving family, but she dreams of so much more than what lies in her future if she stays in Wisconsin.
She decides to take a huge risk, and steals away during the night, and secures a job working on a Mississippi Riverboat. Little could she know how much this would impact her life.
As the story develops, the characters are quite relatable and I found myself caring more and more about what happened to them. Rose, working in the boat's kitchen for Grandma B, learns so much more than how to cook and serve paying guests. She comes to know what life is like for people of color in 1930's America; something she never really thought about at home. As time goes on, Rose and another character begin to have feelings for one another, although those feelings are greatly frowned upon when they involve a white girl and a young man of color. Rose doesn't see the difference, but he knows what trouble could lay ahead if they should express their feelings in public.
Grandma B is an integral part of this story, and I loved everything about her. We watch Rose grow from a young lady with little confidence but huge dreams of travel and seeing the world into a young woman to be proud of. In between, there are various characters who will grab at your heartstrings, or make you realize the evil that can sometimes come into the most innocent of lives.
Well written, I felt like I was on that riverboat with Rose, cooking with Grandma B, and learning what life is all about in the 1930's.
It's a great book - looking forward to reading the rest in the series soon.
The story begins in 1930's Wisconsin, where Rose is a young lady with huge dreams that do not include marriage and motherhood. She comes from a large, loving family, but she dreams of so much more than what lies in her future if she stays in Wisconsin.
She decides to take a huge risk, and steals away during the night, and secures a job working on a Mississippi Riverboat. Little could she know how much this would impact her life.
As the story develops, the characters are quite relatable and I found myself caring more and more about what happened to them. Rose, working in the boat's kitchen for Grandma B, learns so much more than how to cook and serve paying guests. She comes to know what life is like for people of color in 1930's America; something she never really thought about at home. As time goes on, Rose and another character begin to have feelings for one another, although those feelings are greatly frowned upon when they involve a white girl and a young man of color. Rose doesn't see the difference, but he knows what trouble could lay ahead if they should express their feelings in public.
Grandma B is an integral part of this story, and I loved everything about her. We watch Rose grow from a young lady with little confidence but huge dreams of travel and seeing the world into a young woman to be proud of. In between, there are various characters who will grab at your heartstrings, or make you realize the evil that can sometimes come into the most innocent of lives.
Well written, I felt like I was on that riverboat with Rose, cooking with Grandma B, and learning what life is all about in the 1930's.
It's a great book - looking forward to reading the rest in the series soon.
February 23, 2021
Loved this book and have recommend it to a few friends. The history behind Rose's adventures are l
Wonderdful, I had a hard time putting it down at night to go to sleep. WIll read the book II AND bookIII.
Wonderdful, I had a hard time putting it down at night to go to sleep. WIll read the book II AND bookIII.
April 7, 2012
Christine Keleny has a delightful writing voice which transports you back in time with the main character Rose, a sort of female version of Huckleberry Finn. Rose is an optimistic young woman who altruistically leaves her overburdened family to find work for the summer in the kitchen of a riverboat. Despite her circumstances, Rose is almost always cheerful, and reading her narration is a mood-lift. We follow her through her adventures down the Mississippi, to St. Louis and even New Orleans and back as she receives one heck of a life education along the way.
The adventure is full of interesting juxtapositions and lovable characters. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: For example,at one point in the story Rose attends a high falutin' private school while secretly living with a black family. At another point, she lives and works in a bordello (in an administrator's capacity, not as a call girl) while attending a private Catholic school. END SPOILER ALERT
The historical details in this book are rich, well-researched, and engaging. At the end of the book the reader discovers that many of the details were actually relayed to the author by a person who lived through the era and worked on a riverboat, which makes this book a wonderful historical recording of the details of an era.
Recommended.
The adventure is full of interesting juxtapositions and lovable characters. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: For example,at one point in the story Rose attends a high falutin' private school while secretly living with a black family. At another point, she lives and works in a bordello (in an administrator's capacity, not as a call girl) while attending a private Catholic school. END SPOILER ALERT
The historical details in this book are rich, well-researched, and engaging. At the end of the book the reader discovers that many of the details were actually relayed to the author by a person who lived through the era and worked on a riverboat, which makes this book a wonderful historical recording of the details of an era.
Recommended.
April 24, 2018
This book is about Rose Krantz, one of 9 children from a Wisconsin farm family in the 1930s. Since she is adventurous she leaves home when she is around 16 years old to work on a river boat on the Mississippi River. She works in the kitchen, under Grandma B, for a season or two; she goes on to St. Louis and lives with Grandma B. and her black family for about a year; and eventually she goes to New Orleans where she works as a maid and bookkeeper in a bordello for another year.
Rose makes many friends, learns more than she ever would have in rural Wisconsin, and matures in the two years she is away from home. I don’t want to give more of the wonderful plot away… READ IT!
This book is the first of several that the author has written about Rose. I look forward to reading the others to see what other adventures Rose will encounter.
January 28, 2021
I don't like it when they are only 1/3 of the book.
April 19, 2021
Rosebloom
I was drawn into this historical book right from the beginning. About a young girl named Rose and her adventures after she runs away from home. Very good book that kept me attention all the way through. Can't wait for the next one in the series!
I was drawn into this historical book right from the beginning. About a young girl named Rose and her adventures after she runs away from home. Very good book that kept me attention all the way through. Can't wait for the next one in the series!
January 8, 2021
Most coming of age type books I have read are about the journey from boy to manhood. This is a beautiful journey of an adventurous (Rose) young teen’s trip into womanhood. The journey is touching, funny, and everything in between. It explores relations between races in the 30s in a matter of fact manner which covers all the angles. Rose is a very likable adventuresome girl and the writer’s way of telling her story is very well done. Only thing wrong? It ended too soon.
January 11, 2021
Loved the dialogue and story telling...made you feel right in the heart of the south during the depression.
July 1, 2012
Rosebloom tells the story of Rose Krantz, a 16 yo girl growing up in southwest Wisconsin during the Depression. Knowing that her family is overburdened, she decides to run away from home to seek adventure. Upon signing up to work on a river boat, she begins to realize that the world she knows and the 'real' world are two different things.
The author skillfully weaves historical facts into her book, and it's easy to tell that a lot of research was done prior to writing this novel. I also found that Ms. Keleny took on some rather difficult subjects, such as racial tensions and prostitution, and handled them very realistically and very responsibly, yet managed to capture the voice of a young, naive girl whose optimism and genuine friendliness sets her apart from the people of her time.
Rose doesn't see color - she just separates people into nice and bad. This allows her to form a strong friendship with Lilli Mae, a colored girl whose room she shares on the river boat and who works with her. It allows her to view Grandma B. as family, and be invited into the matriarch's home. It could be argued that her lack of understanding in regards to segregation is a tad unbelievable, but I chose to overlook that aspect, and decided that her sheltered upbringing on her family's farm was the cause of that.
Upon her arrival in New Orleans, Rose is separated from Lilli Mae at the docks, and makes the acquaintance of a Madam running a brothel. Madam E. takes the young girl under her wings and offers her a job keeping the books as well as sending her to school, plus room and board, in exchange for those services.
It is there that Rose meets Malcolm, a young, Cajun man who is a jack of all trades. They fall in like and begin a courtship, one that I'm told is continued in the sequel.
Rose's voice was mostly believable. The story is told primarily from her POV though we also get glimpses at the other characters' inner thoughts. She's usually optimistic and cheerful, even in dire circumstances, choosing to see the glass as half full and exhibiting a canny ability to find good even in bad situations. The narration is almost always so cheerful that I found myself smiling along with the character.
The writing is rich and very detailed, and I found myself completely immersed in the vivid descriptions of the country side, the boat and the towns, so much so that it felt as if I was right there with the characters.
The primary focus of the story is not romance, but the adventures of a young girl in the mid-30s, coming into her own. Very nicely done.
I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The author skillfully weaves historical facts into her book, and it's easy to tell that a lot of research was done prior to writing this novel. I also found that Ms. Keleny took on some rather difficult subjects, such as racial tensions and prostitution, and handled them very realistically and very responsibly, yet managed to capture the voice of a young, naive girl whose optimism and genuine friendliness sets her apart from the people of her time.
Rose doesn't see color - she just separates people into nice and bad. This allows her to form a strong friendship with Lilli Mae, a colored girl whose room she shares on the river boat and who works with her. It allows her to view Grandma B. as family, and be invited into the matriarch's home. It could be argued that her lack of understanding in regards to segregation is a tad unbelievable, but I chose to overlook that aspect, and decided that her sheltered upbringing on her family's farm was the cause of that.
Upon her arrival in New Orleans, Rose is separated from Lilli Mae at the docks, and makes the acquaintance of a Madam running a brothel. Madam E. takes the young girl under her wings and offers her a job keeping the books as well as sending her to school, plus room and board, in exchange for those services.
It is there that Rose meets Malcolm, a young, Cajun man who is a jack of all trades. They fall in like and begin a courtship, one that I'm told is continued in the sequel.
Rose's voice was mostly believable. The story is told primarily from her POV though we also get glimpses at the other characters' inner thoughts. She's usually optimistic and cheerful, even in dire circumstances, choosing to see the glass as half full and exhibiting a canny ability to find good even in bad situations. The narration is almost always so cheerful that I found myself smiling along with the character.
The writing is rich and very detailed, and I found myself completely immersed in the vivid descriptions of the country side, the boat and the towns, so much so that it felt as if I was right there with the characters.
The primary focus of the story is not romance, but the adventures of a young girl in the mid-30s, coming into her own. Very nicely done.
I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2021
Great book
I loved this book. It was so well written & a large variety of unique interesting characters. The main character, Rose was a brave & strong & strong young lady. She certainly had an exciting life. I also enjoyed the descriptions of places I’ve always to visit
I loved this book. It was so well written & a large variety of unique interesting characters. The main character, Rose was a brave & strong & strong young lady. She certainly had an exciting life. I also enjoyed the descriptions of places I’ve always to visit
March 24, 2014
Feeling like a burden on her family and seeking adventure, Rose hesitantly - but determinedly - leaves home under the guise of spending the night at a friends house. Rise quickly learns how dangerous this can be. This experience changed her whole life and she continues to see how unfair this world can be. Raised in a country town with by a good family, Rose never realized the color of a person's skin can make a difference in one's life.
This story's setting is during the late 1920s and early 1930s...A time when The United States was experiencing devastation and other countries were in a terrible war the US would soon join. It is a time when old prejudices still dominated a large portion of individuals. Interracial association was still frowned upon by both Black and White cultures.
Rose's tale is very entertaining and full if adventure. There is only one brief area it felt a little too prolonged. However, the reader's attention was captured and enticed to eagerly await the next event.
There are some sexual situations unbecoming for younger YA to read without parent's supervision. They are not explicit and are tastefully done.
The characters were very realistic with numerous personalities. The background scenery is well-portrayed and easily to visualize. The flow of one scene to the next and one setting to the next "flows" easily. It has 478 pages but once one begins to read, the pages seem inconsequential and the reader is left wanting more.
The Title states the name of the primary character, so fits well. I feel the book cover was good but could have been more eye-catching.
I listened to the book on CD, which was excellently narrated by Adam Seeger. He slightly stumbled through the first couple of pages but more than made up for it with the remaining 476 pages! He truly did an amazing job with the various voices and changing scenes.
My review of this book and book on CD offers a Four and a Half Stars rating!
This book was generously sent to me by the author for an honest review, of which I have given.
This story's setting is during the late 1920s and early 1930s...A time when The United States was experiencing devastation and other countries were in a terrible war the US would soon join. It is a time when old prejudices still dominated a large portion of individuals. Interracial association was still frowned upon by both Black and White cultures.
Rose's tale is very entertaining and full if adventure. There is only one brief area it felt a little too prolonged. However, the reader's attention was captured and enticed to eagerly await the next event.
There are some sexual situations unbecoming for younger YA to read without parent's supervision. They are not explicit and are tastefully done.
The characters were very realistic with numerous personalities. The background scenery is well-portrayed and easily to visualize. The flow of one scene to the next and one setting to the next "flows" easily. It has 478 pages but once one begins to read, the pages seem inconsequential and the reader is left wanting more.
The Title states the name of the primary character, so fits well. I feel the book cover was good but could have been more eye-catching.
I listened to the book on CD, which was excellently narrated by Adam Seeger. He slightly stumbled through the first couple of pages but more than made up for it with the remaining 476 pages! He truly did an amazing job with the various voices and changing scenes.
My review of this book and book on CD offers a Four and a Half Stars rating!
This book was generously sent to me by the author for an honest review, of which I have given.
July 21, 2012
Rosebloom tells the story of a young woman during the depression. Rose runs away from home and travels down the Mississippi on a paddle boat steamship. She meets many new people and has many adventures along the way.
I am a huge history buff and this book does a great job of transporting the reader back to that particular time and place. Having spent much of my life in Eastern Iowa I loved the descriptions of the Mississippi and the places along it. If this time and place intrigues you, you will find many wonderful gems in this book, like vivid descriptions of St. Louis.
I have just two complaints with the story and I would have rated it higher if not for these two things. The first is that the various stages of her journey are too separate. They could have easily been separate stories in a series. Her first summer working aboard the steamship, her wintering over in St. Louis and then her second summer heading south to New Orleans, It felt as though the entire story comes to a halt at these key breaking points and then starts back up. It really breaks the flow of the book.
Perhaps that explains my other big complaint, there isn't a strong pull to the story. It was interesting but I never felt like I had to keep reading because I needed to know how it was going to end. Without spoiling anything, there were portions (the first winter in particular) where I did feel that drive to find out what was going to happen next. But once that portion of the book ended I sat it down for several weeks before picking it back up.
In short, this book has some great historical fiction elements, wonderful descriptions of places and people. I liked the character of Rose a lot. I just needed to know where the story was going early on, so that I could be better see how each stage of the journey related to each other.
I am a huge history buff and this book does a great job of transporting the reader back to that particular time and place. Having spent much of my life in Eastern Iowa I loved the descriptions of the Mississippi and the places along it. If this time and place intrigues you, you will find many wonderful gems in this book, like vivid descriptions of St. Louis.
I have just two complaints with the story and I would have rated it higher if not for these two things. The first is that the various stages of her journey are too separate. They could have easily been separate stories in a series. Her first summer working aboard the steamship, her wintering over in St. Louis and then her second summer heading south to New Orleans, It felt as though the entire story comes to a halt at these key breaking points and then starts back up. It really breaks the flow of the book.
Perhaps that explains my other big complaint, there isn't a strong pull to the story. It was interesting but I never felt like I had to keep reading because I needed to know how it was going to end. Without spoiling anything, there were portions (the first winter in particular) where I did feel that drive to find out what was going to happen next. But once that portion of the book ended I sat it down for several weeks before picking it back up.
In short, this book has some great historical fiction elements, wonderful descriptions of places and people. I liked the character of Rose a lot. I just needed to know where the story was going early on, so that I could be better see how each stage of the journey related to each other.
April 4, 2021
Great book.....couldn't out it down. I love reading about this time era. It's hard to believe what young people went through during the mid 1930's. To think Rose was only 15 when she left home and got a job in the riverboat. An all the amazing people she met over the next 2 years who unconditionally helped her. Loved the book!!
December 8, 2010
Keleny, Christine. Rosebloom. 11CDs. ??Hours. CK Books. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-9800529-1-6 $21.95. F
It's 1936 and 16 yo Rose runs away from her farm in Wisconsin to see some of the world before she has to go to high school. This historical fiction journey via riverboat from Prairie du Chien to St. Louis to New Orleans, from all black sections of segregated towns to a house of ill repute, takes Rose through her first love and to her eventual arrival at womanhood.
Considering the setting, Rose is much more naive about race relations than she should be, but her journey is detailed and entertaining and the myriad of background characters are enjoyable. Skillfully narrated by Adam Seeger with abundant vocal techniques highlighting the style of the times between the Great Depression and WWII.
-Terry Ann Lawler - Phoenix Public Library, AZ.
It's 1936 and 16 yo Rose runs away from her farm in Wisconsin to see some of the world before she has to go to high school. This historical fiction journey via riverboat from Prairie du Chien to St. Louis to New Orleans, from all black sections of segregated towns to a house of ill repute, takes Rose through her first love and to her eventual arrival at womanhood.
Considering the setting, Rose is much more naive about race relations than she should be, but her journey is detailed and entertaining and the myriad of background characters are enjoyable. Skillfully narrated by Adam Seeger with abundant vocal techniques highlighting the style of the times between the Great Depression and WWII.
-Terry Ann Lawler - Phoenix Public Library, AZ.
April 4, 2016
This fascinating journey takes us through 1930's midwestern America, following the story of a young woman who leaves home to find adventure outside of her home town. She encounters racial prejudice among other realities of the world that she previously hadn't been exposed to, but in her own small ways, rights the injustice she finds. A great, dramatic read with wonderful historical interest about an era we don't often get to see from a woman's point of view.
May 19, 2013
I very much enjoyed this story of a girl's life. Having said that, I was a little skeptical that all was sweetness and light. Even when bad things happened to her they all turned out all right. A little too Orphan Annie for me, but I did enjoy the character of Rose and will read the sequel.
June 27, 2010
That was one gutsy 16-year old girl back in 1936. Likely, there were young girls who dared to be different. Good info on life on the Mississippi and New Orleans. Easy read.
March 13, 2013
Rose book 1 of 3,
I fell in love with the guileless young Rose ... and you will too. Highly recommend this book, this series and this author!
Detailed review to follow.
I fell in love with the guileless young Rose ... and you will too. Highly recommend this book, this series and this author!
Detailed review to follow.
August 14, 2023
To be honest, I have had this book for years. Christine gifted it to my mom and I when she first published it (at least that’s how I remember it). Her daughter was my childhood best friend (featured as Rose on the cover). I remember trying to start this book many times as a young kid, but I never got too far. And I’m actually glad I waited as long as I did to read it, so that I would have the appreciation for it that I do today. Rosebloom is a wonderful book, rich in detail, and is also close to my heart with Rose being from southwest Wisconsin. I will be looking to read the next volumes that Christine has written!
February 9, 2023
I enjoyed this read
This is a story of a young women, Rose who left home for an adventure. Usually not my kind of read. I am pleased I took the chance and spent the time to read this historical fiction. I will be looking for more books from the Author. I loved all the characters in this story. Well written Christine Keleny!
This is a story of a young women, Rose who left home for an adventure. Usually not my kind of read. I am pleased I took the chance and spent the time to read this historical fiction. I will be looking for more books from the Author. I loved all the characters in this story. Well written Christine Keleny!
January 22, 2021
I RARELY don't finish a book ~ even if I have to "make myself" ~ but i got to about pg 100 and I. Just. COULDN'T. I couldn't keep going ~ I don't care about the characters; I don't care about the plot . . . I'm walking away. I'm not reading #2 ~ I'm done.
Read
February 16, 2021I liked the story about her journey but didn’t
Like the way it ended with no inclination of
Her leaving again or meeting back up with Malcolm
Or the Madam, etc
Like the way it ended with no inclination of
Her leaving again or meeting back up with Malcolm
Or the Madam, etc
October 10, 2021
The story and the writing was very elementary. I found many spelling mistakes in kindle copy. It was an easy read. I will not be reading any of the rest in the series.
August 31, 2021
I RARELY stop reading a book ~ to not finish is not in my DNA, but in this case, I stopped. I couldn't get into the story; the characters are forgettable; the plot is plodding; I'm done. Looked so promising, too. Not reading #2 for redemption, not finishing #1. Just done.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews