First published 2004
Lotta Crabtree steps onto makeshift stages in California's rough mining camps during the 1850s gold rush. The young performer captivates audiences of prospectors and fortune seekers with her spirited acts. She moves through the colorful world of frontier theater, from Portsmouth Square's gambling halls to grander venues where impresarios like Maguire shape the entertainment landscape. Fellow performers include the mysterious Countess of Landsfeldt and troupes staging productions like The Merry Miners and The Wild Horse of Tartary. Lotta navigates the challenges of theater life in a lawless territory where audiences demand spectacle and extravaganza. Her talent and determination carry her from these humble beginnings toward the bright lights of major theaters. By the 1870s and 1880s, she becomes one of America's most celebrated stage stars. This tale captures both the gritty reality of gold rush California and the dreams that drove performers to seek fame and fortune on its stages.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, american, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, gritty, thought-provoking
Tropes: rags-to-riches, rise-to-fame
Setting: California, Portsmouth Square
Period: 1850s, 1870s, 1880s
300 pages · Paperback · Kessinger Pub Co