HFVBT Tours Review: Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg

Title: Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor
Author: Rebecca Rosenberg
Format: ARC
Publisher: Lionheart Publishing
Publish Date: May 28, 2019
Source: HFVBT

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "One look at Baby Doe and you know she was meant to be a legend! She was just twenty years old when she came to Colorado to work a gold mine with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop her!

She moved to Leadville and fell in love with a married prospector, twice her age. Horace Tabor struck the biggest silver vein in history, divorced his wife and married Baby Doe. Though his new wife was known for her beauty, her fashion, and even her philanthropy, she was never welcomed in polite society.

Discover how the Tabors navigated the worlds of wealth, power, politics, and scandal in the wild days of western mining."

My Two Cents:

"Gold Digger" is the story of Baby Doe Tabor. She makes her way to the wilds of the Colorado mountains with her new husband trying to escape from a difficult family situation. She's abandoned and then falls for Horace Tabor, a prospector who is much older than her. Through gumption and resilience, Baby Doe keeps going to try to find happiness. This is a fascinating story about a strong woman and I enjoyed it.

I love reading stories about strong women and you definitely get one in Baby Doe. This woman is tough as nails and when she gets knocked down (and that happens a lot in this book), she gets back up stronger than before. She is truly a survivor! She goes through a failed marriage and then a lot of societal upset when she remarries. She is never afraid of going against societal norms if it means she can survive. 

I was actually born in Colorado and much of my family still lives there although I've been an East Coaster since I was four. Colorado is such a great setting and I love how it is shown in this book. The gold rush in Colorado really made it live up to the nickname of the "wild west." So many made their own rules in seeking fortune and fame. I loved reading about all of these towns that I've visited with my grandparents. The author does a great job of creating a sense of place throughout the book.

The writing of the book was good! I really enjoyed the author's book "The Secret Life of Mrs. London" and was happy to see the strong writing here. I did wish that the book explained a little more about some of the motivations of the secondary characters but overall, they were written pretty solidly. Overall, this was a good read about a fascinating lady who has largely been lost to history.