Leaving Eldorado

Working in a boarding house to support herself after her mother dies and her father leaves to seek his fortune, Maude finds her dreams of becoming an artist jeopardized by the harsh realities of life in the New Mexico Territory.

From Publishers Weekly

New Mexico, 1896: Maude's father wants to pursue his golden dream in the Yukon, but the 14-year-old won't leave with him. In letters to her dead mother, Maude pours out her struggles not only to survive but to follow her dream of becoming an artist. Despite the fact that the letters sometimes disclose information that the girl's parent would have known, they effectively reveal Maude's feelings as she lands a job in a boarding house, befriends a young Indian woman who works there as a virtual slave, and fends off both the attractive and the repulsive local men. Eventually Maude and her friend, self-proclaimed sisters, leave triumphantly for Santa Fe, having somewhat implausibly struck it rich. This romantic feminist fantasy by the author of The One Who Came Back will keep readers turning the pages for the next melodramatic twist. At the same time they will learn much about social conditions in Gold Rush towns, especially as they affected young women. Mazzio's detailed portrayal of her protagonist provides most of this incidental information, though occasional sociological comments emerge improbably from characters' mouths. This minor flaw, however, does not detract from the overall success of Mazzio's nugget-laden historical yarn. Ages 10-14. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10 Up-- Maude Brannigan is 14 when her father leaves her in the mining camp at Eldorado, New Mexico, to pursue his dreams in the gold camps of the Yukon. Maude, completely alone, dreams of becoming an artist, but knows that the lot of women in the 1890s is to marry and bear children. She gets a job in a boarding house, where she meets silent Our Annie, an Apache girl who works with her; Katy Gynne, a local teacher; and Venus Adonna, a "soiled dove." Encouraged by Katy and Venus, she refuses a proposal of marriage from a local rancher and goes on to pursue a career in painting. A definite feminist point of view gives an interesting twist to this historical coming-of-age story. The teacher and the prostitute show this naive girl that men do not have to rule her life and that women have potential for greatness. Written in the form of letters addressed to her dead mother, Maude tells a tale of the time when Indians were considered unfeeling animals and the Chinese not real people but heathens. The setting is realistic, but several characters are stereotyped: the good-hearted lady of the evening and the hard-hearted boarding house owner, Mrs. Steckler. There are amazing plot twists that work in Maude's favor--a fire in the boarding house at an opportune time that leads to the discovery of Our Annie's saving of gold dust and a chance encounter with a painting instructor--but overall this is a fast-moving adventure. --Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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