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Bohemian Girl

by Terese Svoboda
Bison: Univ. of Nebraska Pr. (Flyover Fiction). Sept. 2011. c.208p. ed. by Ron Hansen. ISBN 9780803226821. pap. $14.95. F
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Set at the beginning of the Civil War, Svoboda's fifth novel (after Pirate Talk or Mermalade) is told from the unusual perspective of Harriet, a young woman whose father has sold her into slavery to settle a gambling debt owed to a Native American obsessed with building a mound. After escaping captivity, she encounters a range of colorful individuals on the American frontier, her adventures recalling those of Huck and Jim in Twain's classic American novel. To protect herself, she eventually feigns the identity of a slain shopkeeper's niece and assumes ownership of his store while also pretending to be the mother of an abandoned child.
VERDICT In this nod to Willa Cather's My Ántonia, Svoboda offers a brave and believable heroine who not only perseveres but thrives amid strange characters and harsh times. Her skill as a poet is evident in her descriptions of both emotional and physical landscapes. Recommended for all fiction readers.
Reviewed by Faye A. Chadwell, Oregon State Univ. Libs., Corvallis , Sep 15, 2011
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