Planning the Perfect Book Club Meeting for Prospects of a Woman

Guest post by Wendy Voorsanger

You know that old western stereotype of the hapless barmaid waiting around a dusty saloon for a brave cowboy or lawman to rescue her. Take care of her. Make her an honest woman. Not so in California. In reality, California women weren’t waiting around for men, but working to build the fast-growing society of the West. They were fiercely independent. Powerful. And far from hapless.

As a free state in 1850, without the slave labor of the South or the rigid class structure of the East, California offered women enormous opportunity to work. In addition, early California laws gave women rights not enjoyed in any other state. They could own property, make contracts, divorce, and keep custody of their children. Freed from expectations and traditions, many women redefined their roles, grabbing independence and power. They helped build California by opening businesses, running ranches and farms, practicing law and medicine, designing buildings, operating printing presses, managing restaurants, owning hotels, and painting and writing about the new burgeoning society out West. They were civic leaders, wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. 

The novel Prospects of a Woman strives to shatter the stereotypes littering the typical hard-boiled novels of the old West captured in the American imagination for over a century by telling the story of one woman’s passionate quest to carve out a place for herself in the liberal and bewildering society that emerged during the California gold rush frenzy. 

PIE and Libations

Like the women in Prospects of a Woman, serve yourself a slice of apple pie and a glass of whiskey, neat, preferably Legado, a rye blend from the only female-owned distillery in California. Or if you’re feeling temperate, Ritual Zero makes a lovely equally attractive non-alcoholic whiskey alternative. Then, pull up your chairs around a cozy fire and have a chat about the prospects of women today and throughout history.

Prospects of a Woman Book Club Discussion Questions:

1. Before reading the book, what was your perception of women in the early West?
2. What surprised you most about Prospects of a Woman?
3. What did you think of the writing style? Are there any standout sentences/passages which you found compelling?
4. How did your opinion of the novel change as you read it?
5. What aspects of Elisabeth life did you find most challenging? How would you have handled the wilderness and new societal structures of early California?
6. Which scene has stuck with you the most?
7. Did you race to the end, or was it a slow burn?
8. How did you the relationship between Nate and Elisabeth strike you?
9. What was your favorite part/least favorite part of the book?
10. Elisabeth wasn’t always a likable character in her struggle to make a life for herself in the early West. How did her choices/decisions sit with you?
11. Do you think successful women today struggle with likability?
12. How might’ve Elisabeth’s life turned out if her father had stayed on the claim?
13. What did you learn from the novel?
14. Elisabeth relied heavily on her women friends in the novel. When have you leaned on another women to help you through difficult times?
15. Do you hold Nemacio at fault for Elisabeth’s desperation?
16. Did you reread any of the passages? If so, which ones?
17. Did reading the novel impact your mood?
18. What were your impressions of Nate and Elisabeth’s relationship?
19. Are there lingering questions in the book you’re still wondering about?
20. How do you feel about the Elisabeth’s decision regarding Nemacio in the last chapter? Would you have made a different decision?

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