Lucky Red

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Cravens, Claudia, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	Due 05-08-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Cravens, Claudia	4-week checkout	Due 05-02-2024

"'Some years ago, in Dodge, I was a sporting woman. I didn't mind whoring-it can be good work in the right house-but it demands a great deal of keeping still, and I'm one of those itchy, fidgety sorts who's always looking out the window or glancing toward the door, so it was only a matter of time until I had to move on.' In the Spring of 1877, Bridget-sixteen years old and already disillusioned after caring for her alcoholic father-is orphaned while crossing the Kansas prairie. She arrives penniless in Dodge City, and, thanks to the allure of her bright red hair and country-girl beauty, is soon recruited to work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel in town run by women. Bridget takes to brothel life instantly, appreciating the good food, good pay, and good friendships she forms with her fellow "sporting women," even catching the eye of the town's Sheriff's Deputy, who offers the Queen protection and security. Then, Spartan Lee-the most legendary (and only) female gunfighter in the region-rides into town, and Bridget falls in love. Hard. Sick of having been pushed and pulled by other people's whims and decisions, Bridget resolves to claim her own destiny. But her quest for autonomy detonates a series of events that explodes the tenuous safety she's secured for herself and her friends at the Buffalo Queen"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A bit uneven submitted by redwood on June 16, 2023, 2:14pm This Western Read is squarely in the Western genre. It follows Bridget, a young redhead who moves West with her alcoholic single father to homestead—but almost immediately, her father is killed by a rattlesnake bite. To survive, Bridget keeps traveling, and winds up working at the Buffalo Queen, a brothel in Dodge City. She starts to settle into a life of steady work, friendship with the other women at the brothel, and becomes the favorite girl of the sheriff’s deputy.

I do think this novel would have been a bit better like a short story in the vein of Annie Proulx’s “Brokeback Mountain” (not just a queer Western, but also a brilliantly composed short story). For me, the first half really dragged. I loved Cravens’ writing about the Plains landscape and the affects the West evoked in Bridget, but I found the plot portions to be a little mundane (similar to some parts of Jane Smiley’s A Dangerous Business, also a historical Western with a sex worker main character).

The plot picked up halfway through with the appearance of Spartan Lee, a female bounty hunter who catches Bridget’s eye; related events cause a massive stir in Dodge City and especially at the brothel. I don’t want to spoil too much, but from Spartan’s arrival, the story is all twists and turns, seduction and revenge. While I didn’t enjoy everything about this book, it was a very fun take on a Western and had some truly beautiful writing.

Starts Slow submitted by Maria Maguire on July 9, 2023, 10:47pm The style of writing took a minute to get used to. It felt almost old timey, and I didn't love it but stopped noticing it so much as I read more. I felt like the book started to lag somewhere near the middle - the main characters naivety started to get grating, and the story was feeling slow. Right when I was starting to get bored and annoyed though, the action picked up and there was some character growth. It was okay, but not something I'd strongly recommend.