The Turquoise

by Anya Seton

It is the story of a beautiful, gifted woman who leaves the magic mountains of her native New Mexico for the piratical, opulent, gaslit New York of the 1870s—only to end her search for happiness back in the high, thin air of Santa Fe.

Santa Fe Cameron, named for the place of her birth, was the child of a Spanish mother and a Scotch father and inherited from both a high degree of psychic perceptivity. Natanay, an American Indian, saw this and gave the little orphan a turquoise amulet as a keepsake; this turquoise, the Indian symbol of the spirit, dominates her life.

For Santa Fe Cameron, life is made up of violent contrasts: the rough wagon of the gay young Irish medicine vendor who brings her East and the scented hansom cabs and carriages waiting before her own Fifth Avenue mansion; the glittering world of the Astors and a dreary cell in the Tombs. All the color, excitement, and rich period detail which distinguish Anya Seton’s novels are here, together with one of her most unusual heroines.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, Classics, Historical Romance, New York

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton.

Ann Seton was born in New York, and died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of English-born naturalist and pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton and Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson. She is interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich.

Her historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched the historical facts, and some of them were best-sellers.[citation needed] Dragonwyck (1941) and Foxfire (1950) were both made into Hollywood films. Two of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present; Katherine, the story of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt, and their children, who eventually became the basis for the Tudor and Stuart families of England, and Green Darkness, the story of a modern couple plagued by their past life incarnations. Most of her novels have been recently republished, several with forewords by Philippa Gregory.

Her novel Devil Water concerns James, the luckless Earl of Derwentwater and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715. She also narrates the story of his brother Charles, beheaded after the 1745 rebellion, the last man to die for the cause. The action of the novel moves back and forth between Northumberland, Tyneside, London and America.

Anya Seton stated that the book developed out of her love for Northumberland. Anya certainly visited her Snowdon cousins at Felton. Billy Pigg, the celebrated Northumbrian piper played 'Derwentwater's Farewell' especially for her. The novel shows her typical thorough research of events and places, though the accents are a little wayward. Anya Seton said that her greatest debt of all was to Miss Amy Flagg of Westoe Village in South Shields, her father's birthplace.

Reviews

[Cleo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a find! It is a rare book that makes me weep. Not in sorrow but in empathy. The life story of an amazing woman born in Santa Fe. She is a "forgotten" legend of the area. The author is a wonderful storyteller whose prose sometimes borders poetry. She researched through the memories of the elders in the area, the scant records available from the late 1800's and has presented us a piece of thought-provoking historical fiction. She has written La Santa's (or Sante Fe or Fey)life as a parable - a life of choices involving the allure of the riches and power of worldly things and the simplicity and strength of the spiritual. It would behoove us all to be able to so honestly and perceptively review our life and our choices. The strength in which she took accountability for her choices and the choices she then made for the rest of her life were admirable. The epilogue is worth reading and re-reading.
Perhaps my favorite quote came from the fictional Navajo shaman, Natanay. "Do you think Truth is different on different lips? It is the same. There are many trails up the mountain, but in time they all reach the top." And his advice to Sante Fe "You are not yet ready. When the time comes for change, be certain that you go through the right door."

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Seton's best work, but still an interesting read. This is the story of Santa Fe (Fey) Cameron, named after the town she was born in, Santa Fe New Mexico. Her high born spanish mother died in childbirth, and her father (the disinherited younger son of a highland laird) died when she was a young girl, leaving her to be raised by a lower class mexican family. When Fey turns 17 she meets Terry Dillon, a handsome, charming but ever so unscrupulous medicine man who is headed back east to make his fortune in New York after having run afoul of something in San Francisco. At this same time, a distant cousin of Fey's travels to Santa Fe in search of her on behalf of her grandfather, who is now sorry for the estrangement between himself and his (now dead) son, and wants them brought home to Scotland. Ewen just misses Fey, and his trail turns cold.

Once they reach New York, Terry leaves a pregnant Fey to her own resources as he leaves for brighter pastures. Fey takes work where she can, and sets her sights on the very wealthy and powerful Simeon Tower. Fey's cousin Ewen just misses her once again prior to her marriage to Simeon. The story slows down a bit after this point, as the author describes the opulent lifestyles of the very rich in 1870's New York as Simeon and Fey try to crack the upper circle of New York society.

The story picks up again as a surprise return from the past threatens Fey and Simeon, and Fey finally comes to realize that she has only herself to blame for the choices she made in life and that she is not a victim of circumstance, and that she will have to atone for those bad choices.

All in all a pleasant read, but certainly not up to the high standards Seton set with Katherine, Devil Water and the Winthrop Woman. I enjoyed the first part of the book the most, the author did a lovely job of describing old Santa Fe and New Mexico, along with the trip east on the Santa Fe Trail. If you come across a copy of this out of print book and are a fan of Seton, it's a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or two reading, but I wouldn't go out of my way for a copy, nor pay a fortune for it used unless you're a serious collector. 3.5 stars.

[Sara Giacalone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read a first edition copy thanks to my good friend, Adam. The book itself felt so wonderful in my hands, and it felt like I was opening a real treasure. The story itself was magical, beginning in Santa Fe, moving to New York City, and ending back in Santa Fe. I loved reading about Fey's trials and tribulations and ultimate redemption. A moving, beautiful story.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review posted here

Have you heard of Anya Seton? I sure hadn’t. I’m not sure what possessed me to put this book on my TBR list back in 2009, but THANK GOODNESS I did. Because y’all, this book was magnificent.

It was published first in 1946, and the copy I got from the library was bound in one of those old style books – unassuming, no pictures, gold lettering on top of an orange cover. I looked at that book and thought.. what was I thinking? And then I started to read… and I read more and more and next thing I know I’m waking up at 6am so I can pick up where I left off.

This is an epic story. Santa Fe Cameron was born to a dying mother, and her father dies when she reaches the mere age of 7. She is taken in and raised by a local family – but is always considered to be different, due to the Scottish features of pale skin and gray eyes. Early in the story, she is told she will have to make one of two choices, and … you, the reader, can decide if she made the right choice.

Santa Fe’s trip through this story is a rough one. It’s filled with love and heartbreak, gain and loss, and some of the most intelligent, strong, female characters I’ve ever read in a book of this age. I adored this story, and like I said earlier, I am so glad I put it on my list. This one is highly, highly recommended by me – and I cannot wait to get to the other Seton book I have here sitting on my desk.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Superbly written, but this ended up being my least favorite Seton so far. The story was dull for me. None of the main characters held much interest for me, and I didn't care about their respective ambitions.

[Misfit]

I had to pick up this copy at the UBS just to upload the cover.

[Renata Shura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anya Seton should be so much more well-known than she is. She is one of the first writers to do careful exhaustive research on her subject matter, thus making her fictional stories works of literature which educate as well as entertain. Now, there are so many good authors in the historical fiction field, but she, as a pioneer in the genre, is truly a master.

The worlds she builds in her books are so engrossing that you hardly realize you are reading. Whereas I often look at page count in contemporary fiction because I find I often can't finish slogging through these "telling" stories, Anya's "showing" way of writing has never yet failed to capture my interest and rope me into being so vested in the character that I can not help but crave moving forward in the book.

I wasn't so sure about the subject matter in this book. I'd already read Beverly Swerlings authoritative City of Dreams of series and didn't think much could be added. However, whereas in Swerlings works the main character is the city itself, Seton's book leads the reader on a more singular journey with her main character. I believe that a good book entertains with its story and that is often satisfying enough, but a great book reveals a universal truth in such a way as to find relevance in the reader's life no matter what stage of life they are in. This is such a book.

I am about half way through reading her 12 novels, and I will be very sad when I come to the end of the list...

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Seton's writing enjoyable because she has strong and independent female characters. The Turquoise is no exception as she tells the compelling tale of Santa Fey Cameron, whose heritage is the unlikely combination of Scottish and Spanish parents. When her father dies, leaving her orphaned she lives with a poor Mexican family. To escape this life Fey marries Terry Dillon, a handsome Irish rogue, only to be abandoned in New York, pregnant and alone. She finds a friend in Dr. Rachel at a clinic for young women with no resources.

Fey is determined to make a life for herself and her child and sets her goal to marry Simeon Tower, one of the richest men in the country. Financially successful, he is afraid of women due to an early demeaning experience. But Fey overcomes his fears and marries him to make a new life for herself and her daughter. Together they work to make a new life, socially and economically, striving to rise from their humble backgrounds and become part of the elite wealthy in New York. However, as they approach their goal, Terry reappears and blackmails Simeon. The story escalates from this point as Simeon lose his wealth and their friends fade away. This was indeed a good story - sad but realistic. Good one!

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a love affair with turquoise, which led me to this book. It reminded me of Gone with the Wind, and yet Fey was more likable than Scarlet O'Hara. I am a single mother, and so Fey’s abandoned pregnant plight in the 1860’s NYC was a terrifying thing to read. I wanted to see her choose strength of her own to survive and was dismayed that she turned to seducing a powerful and rich man to marry her and in so doing hid her past and who she was behind him. It beautifully came full circle in the end, and she recovered her turquoise pendant from her childhood and recovered herself. She ended her life with integrity and selflessness.

Seton seemed to understand the complication of being a woman. It’s hard to know the right choices when the cravings for change, intimacy, belonging, security take on shapes that seem promising and full of hope. Fey even with the “sight” could not make out her own path or stubbornly didn’t want to. There are some lessons we have to learn the hard way.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Born of Scots/Spanish parents in 1850s New Mexico and orphaned at a n early age, Fey is raised by poor neighbors. At 17, she hitches a ride out of town with Terry Dillon, a “special-elixir”-selling quack. While traveling the Santa Fe Trail, they marry and eventually arrive in Kansas with enough money for train fares to New York City. Predictably, Terry abandons Fey within days, just before Fey realizes she is pregnant. Alone, pregnant and without a source of income in the 19th-century metropolis, Fey must make some important decisions quickly.

I consider Seton to be one of my favorite authors, but I didn't care much for this book. Seton’s prose is as usual superb, but there is something lacking in the appeal of the story itself. Fey’s financial aspirations didn't ring true to me. I didn't understand why she wanted money so badly, and then why she didn't seem to care much about it when she did have it. This aspect of her personality felt like merely a plot device.

I recommend nearly all of Seton’s other works, especially Katherine.

[Nancy Delaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Have read 6 other Anya Seton novels and this one and Katherine are my favorites. The story moves along very rapidly and has some of her very best characters in addition to Fey the strong heroine in the novel. It contains elements of romance, ambition, betrayal, adventure in wide ranging locations. and keeps you turning pages to keep up with the life of this amazing women . Even the 19th century historical settings in Santa Fe and NYC as well as travel between them gives you a wide ranging look at the country and conditions and concerns at that time, as well as her own life among so many different types and classes of people, from a poor Mexican family to the super wealthy in New York.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at page 118.
Fey is orphaned in Santa Fe and grows up among poor uneducated people. When she gets a chance to run away with a travelling magician, she eagerly agrees to help him sell his "medicine" bottles and join his magic show. A spiritual Navajo leader tells her to beware of following the flesh, but her desire for a husband and riches leads her astray.

This book has a lot of objectionable content. I hated all the characters. The plot was weird and creepy. This one will probably go in the trash. Really gross.

To see all the objectionable content including sexual scenes in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-tu...

[Sonu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a rare find! And unusual setting and amazing writing 😌♥️.
Story of Fe starting from New Mexico and her life, achievements what she desires and what she really wants from the beginning.

[Bree (AnotherLookBook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story but frustrating for how much you wanted to yell at the protagonist to stop making bad choices. The narrator’s omniscience made this even more tantalizing—like telling us that yes, this would have been a better choice, and it would have ended like this—but it’s not what she did.

[Alleluialu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as the March selection of the Rainbow Reading Challenge. "The Turquoise" is the story of a girl whose parents were Mexican and Scottish. She was named for the city of her birth, Santa Fe, but her father called her Fey. Her mother died in childbirth so she lived the first years of her life with her father who was a Scottish doctor. They discovered that Fey had the gift of "sight". Later, when Fey was about 7, her father was killed when he went to help a fellow doctor with a surgery. Fey went to stay with the family of the woman who had helped her father when Fey was a baby. There are so many things that Fey went through in her life. One significant thing is that she met a wise Indian who realized her gift and gave her a turquoise necklace and told her to wear it always and to let the Spirit lead her on her path. He said she would encounter two paths and the Spirit would help her choose the right one - unfortunately, Fey didn't listen. She struggled across the country with a man who ran a medicine show, fell in love with him, and was convinced they were married by an old scout who ran an inn. When Fey and her "husband" got to New York City, they stayed together a week, then he left for greener pastures in Chicago. Meanwhile, Fey discovered she was pregnant and she had to figure out how to support herself and eventually her child. I'm not going to tell the whole story here, but I want to say that I love the way Anya Seton writes and I love the way she blends in religion to her stories. Fey considered having an abortion, but as she was standing on the steps of the place where it could happen, she looked around and noticed the construction of St. Patrick's Cathedral nearby. She turned and went in to the Cathedral and prayed. She ended up not having an abortion and found an Infirmary that cared for women and children and was run by female doctors. Here she made a wonderful, lifelong friend in one of the doctors and she helped out at the Infirmary and learned a lot about caring for the sick. Fey was a very honest character - and direct in her approach when she decided what she wanted. She got everything she worked for, but she ended up making atonement for the times that she didn't listen to the Spirit. I really liked this book. Previously, I had read "Katherine" by Anya Seton and that is why I picked this one up. They were both great reads and what I liked most were the religious tendencies and the fact that, even though sex was obviously part of the story, Ms. Seton didn't describe it in graphic detail, only in a romantic suggestive kind of way. I look forward to reading more of Anya Seton's works.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of elements that I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy, but somehow Seton managed to put them all together into a really engrossing story. Magical elements (psychic foreboding, etc), pre-Me Too era romance, the "Wild West" - but it actually just works. Santa Fe Cameron is born in Santa Fe in the late 1850s/early 1860s to a Scottish father and Spanish mother. She's orphaned at a young age and dreams of a better life. The story follows her choices, good and bad, and explores a lot of "what if" possibilities. It's not perfect and it's a little bit overly moralistic at the end for my tastes, but it was almost impossible to put this book down. I really enjoyed the writing style.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library because of its setting in Santa Fe, where we are planning a stop on a driving trip. I read many of Ms Seton's novels during my teenage years, including this one. I once owned the paperback with this cover (although the book I got from the library had a different cover).

Giving it 2 stars because I almost did not finish it. This is the story of Santa Fe Cameron, the daughter of a Scottish doctor (2nd son of a baronet) and a young woman of aristocratic Spanish blood. Brought up in poverty after her father's death leaves her destitute, she is determined to better herself. She hooks up with a traveling medicine show man and travels east to New York City, where he leaves her pregnant and penniless. She schemes and maneuvers her way to the attention of a railroad financier and causes him to fall in love with her.

I found Fey an unappealing main character, with many talents (including 'the sight') but impulsive and determined to make wrong choices, despite having many trusted people counsel her to think twice. Once she marries Simeon Tower, she finds the life of a wealthy socialite vapid and empty, but she is determined to 'make it' in society at any cost. I almost stopped when I reached the point in the story where her ne'er do well first husband appears and she rekindles a romance with him. So I skipped ahead 5-10 chapters where all that goes terribly wrong, to see the outcome after the predictable event of her 2nd husband murdering her first one in a jealous rage.

Ms Seton had obviously done a lot of research about New York society in the Gilded Age, and a lot of names are dropped, but none of these characters are more than paper cut outs in the background.

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anya Seton had a pattern for her novels, she wrote a thoroughly researched and moving story featuring a courageous woman in search of freedom and happiness. And it was visible also in this one.

Nonetheless, "The Turquoise" belongs to her earlier books and those weren't as magnificent as Katherine or The Winthrop Woman. Of course, all of Seton's historical fictions were much above the average of the genre. And there was a more balanced pace of the plot than in The Hearth and Eagle. I was gripped by Fey story, even more by times and places she lived in, from Santa Fe to New York. But again, if you know her masterpieces with this you will feel something lacking.

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars...

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read this one (over 30 years ago) it was not among my favorites of Seton's. Re-reading it now, I found I liked it much better. The story of Fey Cameron, a Scots-Spanish girl born in Sante Fe when it was newly American, ranges from the American southwest across the Sante Fe trail to St. Louis and on to New York in the Gilded Age. Fey wants to be someone of importance, to have luxurious things, and ignores the mystical warnings of an old Navajo to achieve her goals. In the end she realizes how her ambition and choices affected those around her, and that she must rearrange her life to atone for the pain she has caused others.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I read this about 35 years ago and didn't like it so gave away my copy of the book. I wondered about the judgment of my younger self, so decided to give it another try.

Many years later ... same opinion, except this time I didn't finish it. I read the first 100 pages and the last couple of chapters, then decided to give up.

It seems like a book I would enjoy, so what's the problem? I didn't care about the characters, several of the plot lines are overused, ... I don't know, but I'm done with this title.

[Rebecca Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful reminder of my youth

This is the first book I ever owned. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a teenager. She got it from a book club she was a member of. I read it straight through in one sitting. I loved the story. I finally decided to try and find it in the Kindle edition. I started reading around 10 pm tonight, and I will probably read straight through to the end tonight.

[Pam Hurd · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful find! I went into this one blind. I knew nothng other than it was first published in 1946. Since I had never heard of it and it had been around for a long time my expectations were very low. But ... I thoroughly enjoyed it. Flawed characters with an appropriate ending. Loved it.

[Jackie Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multi layered Novel

This was a most interesting read. Slow at times, and very intriguing at others. The author had an amazing style and wad very descriptive. There were numerous surprises through the book, and the ending was unexpected. I hope to read more by this author, and recommend this excellent story to others!

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have previously read two books by Anya Seton , Katherine and Avalon and enjoyed them.
This book has sadly been harder to get into, it's set to read at a very slow pace which at times has had me bored.
Rachel is such a fabulous character, the redeeming thing about the book.
The ending improved the read for me , and was a little unexpected but at the same time it also felt a bit rushed .

[Paula Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staring out in Santa Fe, a small young child discovers how to deal with loss and survival. In this discovery she discovers who her family was and her special gift of insight. From Santa Fe to NYC, Fey fights for the survival of her life and her daughter. In the process she learns about love and forgiveness.

[Julie Harms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unexpectedly reeled into this story so passionately. Anya Seton is just always surprising me, and I love that. 🥰

I love how flawed Fey is as a character, and her choices feel so realistic, and the consequences thereof too.

If you like reading stories about strong but flawed women, you should give The Turquoise a read. It's a fascinating story.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me so frustrated and I kept thinking I don’t like this book, it’s maddening. Mere moments, missed meetings that could have changed everything for the ‘better’. But in the end the protagonist’s journey takes her to the true center of herself and makes her the best version of herself. In the end the life of luxury and ease she sought was not the life that would fulfill her.

[Lynette Lark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. Anya Seton is a great author. It's about a young girl born of Mexican and Scottish aristocracy, but when her parents die, she is on her own. She makes bad choices (like we all do), but in the end, she redeems herself.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1947- Never heard of this author before. Well-written plot that kept my interest. A few side plots evident that it was written awhile ago, but this didn't keep me from enjoying the story line.

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set primarily in the 1860-70s from the wilds of New Mexico to the urban sophistication of New York City, it’s a wide-reaching tale of love, loss, love… or really how the idea of America covers an interesting and vibrant mix of peoples, places, and voices.