Ghost Woman

by Lawrence Thornton

Based on a chilling historical event, Ghost Woman is a tale of the arrogance of colonizers, rape, guilt, punishment and retribution. It is set on the Southern California coast during the early nineteenth century, when Catholic missionaries rounded up all the local Indians except those still living on San Nicolás Island. When this group is finally captured, one woman jumps from the boat and returns to the island for her missing child. The novel is that woman's story, and the story of the white family with whom her life becomes entangled after she too is taken from her island home.

Genres: Fiction

302 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "Ghost Woman". Thornton has an easy, comfortable style of writing, and the setting of the Santa Barbara Mission in the 1800s, rang true for me.

If you enjoyed "Island of the Blue Dolphins", or Norah Lofts meets 1800s California, you'll probably like this book too.

Note: Sherman Alexie referenced a quote by Lawrence Thornton in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven". Liking the quote and curious, I checked GoodReads for Thornton's books and then checked "Ghost Woman", a historical novel about 19th century Santa Barbara, out of the library along with "The Lace Reader", a novel set in Salem. So Alexie turned me into a cross-country reader this week. *grins*

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this to probably no one's surprise

[Pam]

12/12/07 rec via bookmooch

[Sally Fouhse · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the Island of the Blue Dolphin story.