Of all the characters in the novel, who are your favorites? Did your impression of anyone significantly change?
I didn’t really like anyone, to be honest. They were all so flawed.
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Of the men, the Bettencourt’s carriage driver, Timothy Vale, eventually came forward with an offer to marry Celia and give them a new start as a family, with him working on a Colorado ranch. Timothy was a minor character, and not very developed, but I still liked him.
Of the women, Marie Ah-Yi was aggravating at first. She was very harsh on the outside, no doubt given what she’d been through, but had a warmth and wisdom that developed throughout the story.
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Yes on Timothy and Marie - great answer, Luisa_H.
I agree with Luisa. Minor characters left an impression indeed. Celia was not a favorite, for all her adventuring into the seamy parts of town, why didn’t look further into securing Stephen’s address. And after all this time, if he really loved her, why didn’t he try to make a connection? The ending was too convenient don’t you think???
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I agree on Stephen - he could have made the effort.
Owen was tormented and many times misguided, but he did join forces with Celia to escape perils.
I agree with Luisa H comments.
Like Rebecca, I didn’t really like any of the characters. I was surprised by Lettie’s duplicity and more surprised by Mayor Bettencourt.
Marie was my favorite. She had lived a very hard life, from working in an orphanage at a young age to running the brothel. She moved from a hardened woman using opium to a caring, protective person. She shielded Pearl when Celia disappeared and even cared for Pearl when Celia left to attend the trial.
The story itself was disjointed. There were so many themes that few of the characters appeared in depth.
Celia’s father was my favorite. He was in the background, but that gave me the freedom to “fill out” his character, based on only a few facts. He was realistic.
Surprisingly, Owen ended up being my favorite character. McMorris told his story so thoughtfully and with great finesse, completely upending all that readers initially believed about him & making us see him in a totally different, sympathetic light.