The Lost Girl (Choc Lit)

Charity Walker was adopted as an infant after she was abandoned. She loves her adopted family, but life in late 19th century Wyoming is no easy place for a girl with a white name and a Chinese face. Compounding the problem is the fact that locals and recently arrived Chinese immigrants are facing off over mining jobs; Charity belongs in neither world. When she meets another Chinese woman, the only one in town, Charity believes she may have finally found someone she can call friend. A fascinating and saddening story of the lives of immigrants in the 19th century American West

Life in a Wyoming Mining Town in the mid 1800's

This historical novel tells the tale of a Chinese baby taken in by an American family of coal miners, and her life over the next 17 years. The story shows the difficulty of growing up in a town where you are "different" and no-one wants to be your friend because of that. The American miners feel the Chinese are taking their livelihood away, and with no-one "tryin' to understand anyone else" racial tensions rise as the book progresses. Liz Harris skillfully takes the reader into the heart of American mining households in the mid 1800's and the book's themes include schooling, the everyday life of the miners, shopkeepers and others in the community plus the lives of women in such a town.

This is the second book by Liz Harris that I have read (the first being "A Bargain Struck"), and again with this book you feel that you are there observing the action from just outside an open window. Through the writing you can visualise the town and the homes, and the everyday lives of folk, and it is this attention to historical detail that makes her novels come alive for me.

Liz Harris has delivered a beautifully portrayed romance of two people of different cultures, at a time of racial, and cultural unrest. I adored Liz Harris’ novel ‘The Road Back’, and with ‘The Lost Girl’, Harris has again shone with her portrayal of an American raised Chinese girl ‘Charity’ and the struggles she has in finding herself when she is neither purely American, nor purely Chinese.

Charity was a brilliant heroine, and what I loved especially was seeing how she developed as she grew up. Instead of starting the novel when Charity was in her late teens, we are instead introduced to Charity as a baby, when young Joe takes the orphan home to his family, and from this we see her struggles as she grows up, shunned by Americans for the colour of her skin, and shunned by the Chinese, as she is not as a ‘Good Chinese Girl’ should be. By the time we see Charity as a teenager, I was able to understand her choices in a way I wouldn’t have had I not witnessed her home life growing up. I really loved the scenes with Sin Lu and Chen Fai, especially how they interacted with Charity in English that improved over the years, whilst contrasting with the brewing hate of the miners for the Chinese in their town.

This story is one of a growing love, and I adored seeing Joe and Charity reconnect after he had left home for seven years. Their relationship was a special one, and I felt so strongly for Joe when he wanted the best for Charity, even though knowing that might not be with him. There are some issues that are dealt with brilliantly in this book; the cultural unrest where the miners grew to hate the Chinese for their taking lower wages, leading a knock-on effect of the miners having lower wages too; the difference in day-to-day life in cultures, and the festivals and rituals of the Chinese compared to the Americans. All this was rich with historical detail, and I felt as though I was there in the story, learning alongside Charity.

This is a gorgeous tale of a forbidden love that grows from childhood, the dangers of a love unrequited, and the strength of belief in your culture in times of upheaval.

5 Stars!

Wow! This book took me all over the place emotionally! Liz describes Wyoming post gold rush so well, I felt as if I was there! And her sensitive handling of the race problems between the white americans and the chinese was remarkable!

I felt so very sorry for Charity - she was Chinese by birth but had been brought up as an American and consequently did not fit in either group. The day she started school had me in tears.

Liz builds the tension towards the end. Who will Charity marry? And what will happen if she chooses Joe? And if she chooses Chen Fai, what will happen to Joe? I couldnt see a solution that didn't end in some sort of violence, Luckily Liz could!

This was a good story. It was skillfully and beautifully written. They story line was well thought of and the characters. This story takes place in the mid 1800s in a Wyoming Mining Town. This story wonderful romance of different cultures at a time when their is unrest. This story is alive. Liz Harris writes in a way that puts you in the story.

This is a fantastic story of belonging and not belonging, of love in its many guises, of the danger when love is unrequited, of hatred because of the colour of your skin and the shape of your eyes. From the moment young Joe hears the cries of Charity's dying mother, this book totally gripped me - I carried it everywhere with me just so I could read a little more whenever I had the opportunity. Liz Harris writes so very well - I was totally transported to 1870s Wyoming (now, those must be words you never thought you'd see me write!), with its grinding poverty and hardship making the hatred of the Chinese community who work more cheaply wholly understandable but no less gut wrenching.

Charity and Joe are both wonderful characters, who we grow to love as they grow - her impossible situation with her Chinese looks and her American upbringing, his love for her set against his yearning for the open plains and determination to escape the mines. But the whole cast of characters is drawn so very well - mother Martha gazing longingly at the horizon, husband Hiram who is the love of her life, Charity's friend Su Lin and her brother Chen Fai, Joe's embittered brother Sam and his wife Phebe. Lesser characters are equally well done - Joe's trail partner Ethan, the stable owner Seth, the town marshal, the Chinese priest... this is such excellent writing.

The author's research has clearly been impeccable - she really brings the era, its tensions, its trials and the small town community vividly to life. I equally enjoyed the time Joe spent herding cattle across the plains, with the most vivid detail about building bridges, crossing rivers, keeping the horses fresh and keeping the herd together.

The love story at the book's core is absolutely perfect, and I read the last quarter of this wonderful read with my heart in my mouth, and a real physical ache wanting things to work out. And you don't really think I'm going to tell you how it ends, do you?!

On the face of it, you might think this isn't a book for you. I'll admit, I did wonder too when I first picked it up. How totally wrong can you be? A lovely, lovely read that I'd highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a vivid (and perhaps unfamiliar) historical setting, a beautifully told and flowing story that grips you by the heart, and a heartbreaking love story that moves you to the core.

A moving romantic novel rooted in its social context, The Lost Girl explores themes of identity and belonging through the story of a young woman of Chinese ancestry and American upbringing at a time when her two cultures remained distinctly separate.

In Wyoming mining country in 1868, seven-year-old Joe Walker rescues a Chinese baby from certain death and persuades his reluctant family to take her in. The story follows Joe and Charity, as she’s named, over the next seventeen years, and Harris manages to cover this lengthy period of time without making the tale feel episodic. The Chinese are deeply resented in the town of Carter because of the perception that they’ve stolen white workers’ jobs. A polite and intelligent girl who helps Mrs. Walker with her chores, Charity faces prejudice from both sides, her Asian appearance contrasting with her more informal American ways. She derives comfort from her blossoming friendship with a girl her age, Su Lin, and her ties to Joe, which endure a lengthy separation as he leaves to become a cattle drover. Once he returns home, their emotional connection looks to develop into something more, but Charity finds herself torn between her heart and society’s expectations.

A British novelist who has lived in the States, Harris has expertly captured her setting, both the local vocabulary and the geographical milieu, with beautiful scenes of the wide-open skies arching over the Wyoming prairie. For this American reader, though, a lighter touch with evoking speech patterns – both the Walkers’ Western twang and the Chinese immigrants’ broken English – would have been more effective. The dramatic tension, which is driven by the era’s cultural turmoil, remains high through the unexpected finale. The casual racism endured by the Chinese is painful to read, but it’s a shameful part of American history that deserves to be acknowledged, as it is here.

(from the Historical Novels Review's August issue)

The Lost Girl was my first venture into Western Historical Fiction and I loved it.
Liz Harris has a captivating style of writing. The story spans 17 years but isn’t bogged down with unnecessary detail. Harris keeps it moving along swiftly as time passes.

Charity is found as a tiny newborn, lying near her dead mother, by 7 year old Joe. Joe takes her home and begs his mother to keep her promising to help look after her and do extra chores. His father and brother are miners and life is tough. The Chinese have settled in their small town of Carter and there is much mistrust and hatred on both sides.

Charity being Chinese heritage but brought up by an American family finds that she is shunned by both the whites and the Chinese.

This is a wonderful story of identity and belonging, friendship and perseverance, love and resilience in the face of adversity.

Harris’ prose are beautiful and packed with emotion but never overly melodramatic.

Extremely well-written and researched. The racial bias is unfortunately a reflection of current times and for this reason, I am not quite feeling up to providing a blog review at this point.

Living in the twenty first century it’s difficult to come to terms with the fact that in America in the 1800s, mixed marriages were not only taboo, they were illegal. Charity, a Chinese baby found by seven year old Joe Walker taken in and raised by his family, finds herself in nomandsland. The other townsfolk shun her, she’s bullied at school and has no friends. The Chinese community are also wary of her. She may look like them but she dresses and speaks like a white American. Right from the start, Joe has taken personal responsibility for her and has always been her friend so when he quits the family home to pursue a life as a cattle drover it leaves a huge gap in her life. She eventually befriends a young girl, Su Lin and their friendship brings her closer to the Chinese community. By the time Joe returns, nearly seven years later, Charity is seventeen and has agreed to marry Su Lin’s brother. Despite trying to fight his feelings, Joe finds himself drawn to Charity, now a beautiful young woman. When he discovers the feeling is mutual and she has broken off her marriage promise to Chen Fai, their relationship moves into dangerous waters.

One thing I love about Choc Lit is the variety of their books. Liz Harris has delivered an amazing story, written in great detail to reflect the society Charity lived in; its morals and expectations. That a white man could be imprisoned or possibly hung for marrying a Chinese woman is quite shocking. But you also get to see the other side of the story; how unscrupulous mine bosses undercut the white miners’ wages by employing Chinese labour at a fraction of the price. Therefore it wasn’t hard to understand why the white miners became so resentful of the Chinese. Lots of detail went into this book and made it, in my opinion, a thought provoking and quite special read. Joe wasn’t written in the usual Choc Lit hero style but he was, nevertheless, worthy of the title.

If you want to be carried away to the wide, sweeping plains of Wyoming during the gold rush then this book will take you there. Liz Harris manages to capture what life must have been like at the time through the eyes of Charity, a Chinese girl who is brought up as an American and Joe's family who work in the mine. When tensions rise between the two communities, Charity is caught in the middle. She tries to assimilate into the Chinese community but feels she doesn't belong there yet she cannot follow her heart either. I really felt as if I had been transported back in time; wonderful descriptions of the scenery, fantastic characters and a romance with real obstacles to overcome.

My thoughts:

I really enjoy historical romance so when I saw the description for this book I couldn't wait to read it.

Charity is an interesting character who is well written and it was great to see her grow up throughout this book and develop as a character. Joe was so likeable and dependable. I loved the interactions between Joe and Charity. From the beginning their friendship was both engaging and sweet. Liz Harris has written Charity in loving detail and I really felt her emotions as if she was someone I actually knew.

The story grabbed my attention straight away, I did think there was a slight dip in my interest at one point. However it was only for maybe a chapter or so as the rest of the book kept moving at a steady pace. Liz Harris has written a detailed and interesting story that made me feel as if I was right there with the characters. There were some serious issues that were dealt with in this book but they were handled very well. If you are like me you will feel a range of emotions whilst reading this story. Mainly anger at the way Charity is treated but also hope for a better future.

Overall:

I really enjoyed The Lost Girl, the characters had depth and the story was told beautifully!

Four and a half stars from me!

Thank you to Choc Lit & Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

The Lost Girl by Liz Harris

History is not always pretty and love for all is not equal or easy. In this historical novel a baby is found and brought to live with a family that never sees her as “family” because she is Chinese and they are white. She grows up in the family, works hard, is fed and dressed and cared for but is never considered a daughter. Being raised in a mining town that is divided between White and Chinese with racial tension everywhere it is difficult to figure out where you belong if you consider yourself American and everyone that looks at you sees you as Chinese…that is…everyone except the Chinese.

Joe and Charity have a bond from the time he finds her alone with her recently deceased mother. They remain close despite the tensions in town and correspond after he leaves when he is seventeen and she is ten. When he returns seven years later both have changed and so has the town. Charity has made friends with Su Lin, a Chinese girl her age, and her older brother Chen Fai. Chen Fai wants more than friendship with Charity but Joe’s return causes Charity to weigh her future carefully due to anti-miscegenation laws and the consequences of stepping over the line in regard to them.

This novel is gritty and real dealing with topics that are not easy but well worth exploring. It definitely makes me happy to be living when I do rather than in times gone by…for more than one reason.

Thank you to NetGalley and Choc Lit for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars

I knew before I finished the first page that I would enjoy this book. I loved the author’s voice from the start and was instantly transported to 19th century Wyoming, amongst the dust and dirt of the small mining town, where Chinese immigration and increasing racial prejudice has divided the inhabitants of Carter, started rifts in families and fuelled hatred. However amongst the hardship a friendship between a foundling child and a young boy grows and the love story unfolds.

I loved every word, every description and empathised with every character in this novel and when Jo became a man, I found I even had a soft spot for cowboys too. This book was effortless to read, yet I learnt so much. The author’s research was meticulous and the issues she raised in her story-line still resonate today. Harris holds up a mirror to our values and judgements in a unique and engaging way. Well worth a read.