Beyond The Bougainvillea by Dolores Durando

Unforgettable historical fiction novel about a young girl growing up motherless on Dakota farmland, with a drunken father and never ending work and hopelessness. When Marge's father trades her off to a drunken neighbor for acres of farmland Marge's nightmare really begins. After suffering more abuse than she can stand and with the help of a neighboring friend Marge makes her escape, journeying to Los Angeles during the depression. Marge is welcomed into a house of luxury but still sees the stark reality of what the depression has brought to starving farmers across the Midwest. Storytelling at it's best as you feel Marge's embarrassment that she has plenty of food and clothing while seeing starving children and sunken cheeked fathers standing in line for days for one bowl of soup which he takes with him to divide between his whole family. Marge soon learns that things aren't always what they seem though when the happy home that she is staying in is divided when tragedy strikes leaving nothing but bitterness behind. Marge has to learn to make it on her own where jobs and food are scarce. After finding a somewhat friend in a young Native American mother, lost on her own journey through the world, Marge finds courage and a drive to survive. She begins a new life in the wilds of northern California and the building of a new dam on the American River. Will Marge ever find the love she longs for with a Cherokee Engineer, or is she destined to live her life alone? Really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. The author grew up on the Dakota plains 90 years ago and this seems to be her first novel, I hope she writes many more, as she is a wonderful storyteller. This was an advanced readers copy through Netgalley.com from Bell Bridge Books.