Gold Diggers
Product ID: 80160094
Between 1896 and 1899, thousands of people lured by gold braved a grueling journey into the remote wilderness of North America. Within two years, Dawson City, in the Canadian Yukon, grew from a mining camp of four hundred to a raucous town of more than thirty thousand. The stampede to the Klondike was the last great gold rush in history. Scurvy, dysentery, frostbite, and starvation stalked all who dared to be in Dawson. And yet the possibilities attracted people from all walks of life. Gold Diggers is the remarkable story of the Klondike Gold Rush told through the lives of six very different people: the miner William Haskell; the saintly priest Father Judge; the savvy twenty-four-year-old businesswoman Belinda Mulrooney; the imperious British journalist Flora Shaw; spit-and-polish Sam Steele of the Mounties; and, most famous, the writer Jack London, who left without gold but with the stories that would make him a legend. Brilliantly interweaving their experiences, Charlotte Gray presents a fascinating panorama of a subarctic town, drawing on letters, memoirs, newspaper articles, and stories. Review: What a RUSH - I loved this book. While it has history it is not a dull history book and the history is indeed interesting. The book details the lives of different people enveloped in the gold rush from a wonderful clergy man ,a young Irish woman with a keen sense for business, successful and not so successful miners plus those who went there with no knowledge of mining or life in the very rugged north.The book is very well written and weaves the history, the town of Dawson, and the individual characters together seamlessly. Review: makes history fun! - I had a history prof in college who was loved and respected by all who were lucky enough to get in his class. He didn't want to screw up any body's gpa, so he frequently cancelled semester finals. His respect was not based on being a softie. No, this man made his mark because he KNEW history. He'd insert into every lecture a nugget of a human interest; something that had no meaning in the "big picture" but made it a lot more interesting and fun to read. Charlotte Gray does the same thing, showing the Big Picture of how the Klondike affected both Canada and the US, but as well the human profile. The shrewdness of Belinda Montgomery, the hardships of even successful miners like Bill Haskell, the driven almost obsessed vision of Sam Steele. Excellent read
| Best Sellers Rank | #339 in Canadian History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 190 Reviews |
T**E
What a RUSH
I loved this book. While it has history it is not a dull history book and the history is indeed interesting. The book details the lives of different people enveloped in the gold rush from a wonderful clergy man ,a young Irish woman with a keen sense for business, successful and not so successful miners plus those who went there with no knowledge of mining or life in the very rugged north.The book is very well written and weaves the history, the town of Dawson, and the individual characters together seamlessly.
A**R
makes history fun!
I had a history prof in college who was loved and respected by all who were lucky enough to get in his class. He didn't want to screw up any body's gpa, so he frequently cancelled semester finals. His respect was not based on being a softie. No, this man made his mark because he KNEW history. He'd insert into every lecture a nugget of a human interest; something that had no meaning in the "big picture" but made it a lot more interesting and fun to read. Charlotte Gray does the same thing, showing the Big Picture of how the Klondike affected both Canada and the US, but as well the human profile. The shrewdness of Belinda Montgomery, the hardships of even successful miners like Bill Haskell, the driven almost obsessed vision of Sam Steele. Excellent read
C**T
Fun History - starts to drag toward the end
I was in Alaska and just had to get this and read about where I was at the time. It was very detailed and gave you a pretty good idea of what it was like. It also fired up my thirst for gold. It sounds so easy to go somewhere and just "pick up" the gold from a river, but the truth is so far from that. Towards the end of the book, it just seemed that everything had been covered already. I was ready for it to end, but I didn't stop the process, I finished the book.
C**T
Reading history can often be boring and tedious
Reading history can often be boring and tedious, even if the subject is as exciting as the gold rush. But author Charlotte Gray has woven a story as interesting as a novel. Her research is thorough and the story features 6 characters who lived the Yukon adventure. Much of the content is from the actual writings of the actors involved. A must read.
T**E
This is a terrific book that is well written and a fascinating read ...
This is a terrific book that is well written and a fascinating read that provides an excellent overview of numerous aspects of Klondike Gold Rush. The author relied on private diaries, letters, and interviews to give new and fascinating insights about the lives of prominent participants in the Gold Rush. I highly recommend this book.
B**Y
Excellent Book
This is an excellent book about a far away place that drew thousands of people into a remote and hostile wilderness. Well written; it follows the key individuals who chased their dreams to Dawson City through extreme difficulties. Very well written.
G**O
A More complete story
I watched the television miniseries and was interested to know more. I found the detail I wanted here. Fascinating story. Incredible adventures and a real insight into men who and their compulsions. Arguably these bizarre behaviors conquered the world.
J**R
hardtack biscuits
This is a very informative book on the gold rush. However is not what I expected as writing style is very dry.
E**E
The lure of lucre
Amazing philosophical explanations for the doings of man(and woman). Even the television drama Klondyke based on Charlotte Gray's classic smacked of grim reality rather than Hollywood romance. A tremendous read.
S**E
... of those authors who knows how to how a good story about the individuals in society
Charlotte Gray is one of those authors who knows how to how a good story about the individuals in society. No matter what kind of book a person buys, the investment is well worth the money. Information about the characters in the book is very detailed, and we get to know so much about the character.
M**E
It's never too late to learn something new.
I originally saw the three part Klondike series on television and wanted to see how close the characters in the series were to the book. I found the book much more realistic since it was based on actual facts. The author's research was good and I learned a lot about the gold rush days. I didn't realize how much politics was involved.
G**L
The physical challenges
Amazing book
F**S
A great story about an interesting historical event
Most of us probably don't know very much about the great Klondike gold rush. Gold Diggers provides an excellent opportunity to learn a lot about it. Gray's tale is very entertaining as well as being loaded with well researched information.
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