One look at Baby Doe and you know she was meant to be a legend! She was just twenty years old when she came to Colorado to work a gold mine with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop her!She moved to Leadville and fell in love with a married prospector, twice her age. Horace Tabor struck the biggest … biggest silver vein in history, divorced his wife and married Baby Doe. Though his new wife was known for her beauty, her fashion, and even her philanthropy, she was never welcomed in polite society.Discover how the Tabors navigated the worlds of wealth, power, politics, and scandal in the wild days of western mining.
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I just read a terrific book. Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg. It doesn’t hit the market until May 28, 2019 but I suggest you put it on your TBR list. I’ve given it a, rare for me, 5 stars. I was offered the chance to read an advanced reader copy and I almost didn’t, I vaguely knew of Baby Doe and didn’t think I’d be interested. What a shame if I had passed it up. So, I voluntarily read and will review for you, with all thoughts and opinions being mine.
Gold fever hit the west when in 1848 gold nuggets were discovered. Go west young man and seek your fortune. Elizabeth ‘Lizzie” McCourt is on her way to Colorado with her new husband, Harvey Doe. Harvey was a good catch, his father was mayor of Oshkosh. The downside is he’s a mama’s boy and she doesn’t love him. The newlyweds were gifted a deed to the Fourth Of July gold mine in Central City, Colorado. A new start and a chance to help her family financially. If her family had whined for money one more time I was going to scream. Harvey goes back to Oshkosh to take care of his sick mother (yea right) and Lizzie is left to carry on and work the mine. She reminds the miners of a baby doe, it’s a fun play on her name. and it sticks. She’s now Baby Doe. Scandalously, she divorces Harvey and becomes a pariah to society.
Horace Tabor is a self made man. He’s, of course, older than Baby and married but love doesn’t care. He’s such an interesting character. Made and lost fortunes but had no real head for business. The people around him were not always honest and sometimes just leaches. He and Baby are meant to be together and what a ride they had. From dead broke to having the president at your wedding back to dead broke, wow. Tabors story is as fascinating as Baby’s. I did have one laugh out loud moment. Baby’s brother comes to town and takes up with Oscar Wilde! It’s a great section of the book.
It’s obvious how much research went into this story, Ms Rosenberg did a wonderful job. We have something to look forward to, Silver Dollar, in 2020. The next chapter picks up after Tabor’s death. Baby’s story in no way ended there. Happy reading.
#Netgalley #LionHeartPublishing #RebeccaRosenberg #GoldDigger
This is the new queen of historical fiction! Another literary masterpiece. Seemingly endless imagination, Rebecca Rosenberg tells the history of Baby Do,The belle of Central City. The facts of her life are true and she comes to life under Ms. Rosenberg ‘s hand. Comparable to the greats such as Steinbeck, Gregory and George.
I found the most wonderful characters, both awful people and good. The plot was so seamless and we’ll written, it was extraordinary! ANOTHER MUST READ!
It’s not often I find or read books about that era between the American Civil War and World War I, so it was a happy surprise that I stumbled into reading Gold Digger:The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.
In Gold Digger, you fall into the life of Lizzie aka Baby Doe. Baby has just been married and is off to Colorado with her new husband in the hopes of striking in big with gold mining. Things don’t go as planned, and Baby Doe finds herself husband- and child-less. What’s worse is the hate many of the townswomen are spewing on her as she fights to take care of herself and forge her own path ahead. In the end, she may find that money isn’t the most important driver in life.
Baby Doe was one of my favorite characters of the many, many books I’ve read, and what’s even cooler is that she’s modeled after a real life woman. She is smart and strong-willed and expects no less from herself than what is expected of men, which is odd for that time period. She’s a dreamer, and unafraid to provide ideas and opinions. Throughout her struggles, she fights to stay true to herself. What an inspiration for women of any age!
If you like what you’ve heard so far, be sure to add Gold Digger: The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor to you reading list; it will be available on May 28th. I’m giving this five stars, and I’m telling you, you don’t want to miss out on this woman’s trials and tribulations!
**Thank you to Rebecca Rosenberg and Netgalley for providing with a copy of this e-book. I’ve voluntarily read this book and the review expresses my own personal opinion.**
Rebecca Rosenberg’s Gold Digger: The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor is the rags-to-riches-to-rags true story of Lizzie “Baby Doe” Tabor. Set against the rough and tumble Colorado silver and gold rush in the late 1800s, Gold Digger brings history to life, portraying Baby Doe as a smart, strong-willed woman fighting to survive in tumultuous times. The author vividly describes the hardships of life in the frontier towns of Colorado, the capriciousness of mining for riches, and the indomitable spirit of Baby Doe as she navigates the fortunes and misfortunes of life in such a harsh environment. Weathering a disastrous first marriage, the loss of a child, the collapse of the silver market, and the scorn of society, Baby Doe Tabor’s strength and determination leap off the page. Add this extraordinary book to your TBR list. It’s a must-read.
Rebecca Rosenberg has brought history to life in this un…put…down…able book about Baby Doe Tabor! This is the genre of book that I love to read and I was thrilled with the opportunity to read an ARC copy! This fascinating woman in American history, particularly Colorado history, was beautiful, determined, strong and most of all a survivor. She endured the gamut of difficulties that life and society threw at her because of her strong will and the love she had for Horace Tabor.
Ms. Rosenberg has captured the essence and beauty not only of Baby Doe but also of Colorado. The descriptions she writes are so vivid and incredible. I grew up in Colorado with my dad taking me to many old ghost towns in the mountains and this book brought all those places to life as bustling, crowded places that brought miners in search of their fortunes in their hunt for silver and gold. From the clear, blue skies and streams to the scents of the pines. From the hardships and reality of what mining entailed to the high society of the Denver elites, I was living this tale of ups and downs with Baby Doe.
Ms. Rosenberg built this book upon the real life of Baby Doe Tabor and the history surrounding her. It’s a wonderful “look” at who she was. The research, the history, the background to the characters is all brought together in a magnificent book that reads like it could be made into a top rated movie. I didn’t want the book to end. I wanted more of Baby Doe and to my surprise! There is going to be a sequel! Silver Dollar! I will be waiting with great anticipation for what happens next in Baby Doe’s life!
This book exceeded all my expectations and gave me an adventure back in history that I will never forget. I love Colorado. I love the rich history of that state. Ms. Rosenberg brought all that to me in this book plus so much more. I loved the adventure!
There are passages that are so profound and speak of the talent Ms. Rosenberg has at expressing the written word.
“The Matchless was a symbol of everything they stood for; tenacity, courage, and most of all, luck. Was that why he never let it go? He kept it for her.”
“Love is like a wild horse, impossible to tame,” she said. “The horse takes you places you never thought you’d go. But if you hold on tight, it always leads you home.”
This is the second book by Ms. Rosenberg that I’ve read and highly recommend both. The first one is The Secret Life of Mrs. London. I am so looking forward to her next book, too! I want to thank Ms. Rosenberg for the honor of reading her amazing novel! I would give it way more than 5 stars if possible and I highly recommend her books
“Think about it,” he said. “Important things aren’t about money. Health. Friendship. True love. If you don’t have those, money can’t buy them for you.”
Elizabeth McCourt married Harvey Doe in hopes that she could help her family get back on their feet after a fire destroyed their livelihood. Abandoned, and trying to keep their mine going, she has been nicknamed “Baby Doe” by the miners she works with. Without trying she catches the eye of Horace Tabor, the Silver King, a prominent miner twice her age. With his help she sues Harvey for divorce, almost unheard of in Colorado.
Everything Horace touches turns to silver, and, still attracted to Baby Doe, he expands his holdings to include most of the impressive buildings in Centerville Colorado. Baby leaves him but he follows her, marrying her just as he becomes senator. Despite the scandal and shunning, she and Horace make a fairly good life until silver tanks as the US switches to the Gold Standard. Society is sure Baby will leave Tabor but theirs is a “Matchless love” that can withstand almost anything.
I became a fan of Rebecca Rosenberg with her book “The Secret Life of Mrs. London”, some of the best historical fiction I have read in years. With “Gold Digger”, Rosenberg has solidified her place in the world of storytelling. I highly recommend this book.5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
I became a fan of this author when I read her first novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS. LONDON, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of GOLD DIGGER. As before, the author has taken a true story–a true love story–and has brought it to new life for today’s readers. Everything is here for a rollicking ride. This story pulls together a forbidden love, the wild west, politics, and mining for riches set against the backdrop of my favorite state, Colorado.
The most impressive part of the novel is the depiction of its main characters, Horace and Baby Doe Tabor, who seemed so real to me I wished I’d known them. As they endured the cruel pettiness of people who lived during their era, their love stayed true. I ached for both of them.
Even though I know how this story ends, I was thrilled to see that there will be a Part II, and I look forward to devouring that novel as well. Don’t miss this rags-to-riches-to-rags again, compelling read.
This is another fascinating read by Rosenberg, again illuminating a piece of history for modern readers. Gifted in the art of dialog and character, the author quickly draws the reader into the story and doesn’t let go. This was a one-day read for me and I am eagerly anticipating the sequel!
At the beginning it was a little confusing however, realizing that this book was covering several different characters that eventually meshed throughout life. Lizzie is quickly married and told that they were going to mine gold at her new father in law dig site. Her husband appears very young and weak stamina prone to asthmatic bouts which irritates his breathing while trying to work a dig. She talks him into letting her help at the dig site and she learns the business. He goes back home because his mother is sick and never returns with Lizzie being pregnant and then has a miscarriage. She goes back home and sees him with a hooker so she files for a divorce which is unheard of for a female. She meets later an up and coming Horace Tabor who has hit a silver mine and is involved with politics. Horace however, is married with a son and a wife that is constantly criticizing him in all of his endeavors. He fights for the people in Colorado by giving them jobs, building facilities in town into a big boom. Both him and Lizzie are dealing with failed relationships and find that they have a lot in common. She’s a strong independent woman when women depended on their husbands. She willing to work hard to make her way in life and she has developed friendship with men who have become enamored of her even though she’s not interested. She is ostracized by the town people when she divorces her husband and then becomes involved with Horace.
I am a Book Blogger at For the Southwest By the Southwest Book Corner. I got a free copy of this book at Net Galley. This review is my honest opinion of this book.
This is the first book that I have read by Rebecca Rosenberg, I enjoyed it very much, and look forward to reading the second book in this series.
This is a very interesting Historical Romance story of what life was like in Colorado during the Silver and Gold rush, especially in Leadville, Colorado. This has everything you would want in a Historical Romance. The struggles of rags to riches back to rags for both Baby Doe and Horace Tabor. Then you throw in a political arena, how could it get more interesting.
Love to learn things when I read Historical fiction, and I certainly did with this book. Imagine what it would be like to be a lady in the 1800’s trying to get a divorce, when that was unheard of, and then having to live with the outcome of getting that divorce. Then, to remarry a divorced man in the not so near aftermath of that divorce!
So, the question is was Baby Doe a Gold Digger or not? Well, read this great book and answer that question for yourself!
Received this arc for an honest review. What a wonderful insight to the early days of mining in Colorado. What a hard life Baby Doe lead! And this retelling of her life is worth the Read! I really enjoyed it. I look forward to the sequel.
Beyond five stars. I could actually see history. I grew up in Colorado and Baby Doe’s story was a great story to grow up with until Tabor’s death. I actually cried at the end of the book and can’t wait to read the next. They had such a great love and gave so much for that love. They had that miraculous moment in time.
I received this book as a gift through one of my books groups, this is a first-time author for me and absolutely loved the book so glad that I want it it took you down a time when you didn’t know what to expect you have to work your butt off to get where you are and sometimes had to do things that you didn’t want to do it was a definitely an eye-opener book and hope to see maybe characters like this again in a future with this book author
I received this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. This isnt a genre that I read alot in, yet having said that I found the book to be very good. I could tell the author spent alot of time researching the time period so that her protrayal was pretty accurate. What a hard life it would have been living in that day and age. I felt like the author had the ability to bring the story alive so that you actually felt like you were in the book. I would recommend it to others that enjoy this genre of books.
Women of the wild west…you won’t want to miss this one. Her rags-to-riches and back to rags again story made her a well-known figure in her own day, and inspired an opera and a Hollywood movie based on her life…that’s Elizabeth McCourt known as Baby Doe.
Born in Oshkosh, Wisc; married and moved to Colorado. She divorced him for drinking, gambling, frequenting brothels, and being unable to provide a living and he literally abandoned her. A strong women made her way and fell in love with Horance Taber, a wealthy silver magnate. From wealth to life of being destitute. An interesting period of time, a rough life for women and their struggles.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A rich re-telling of the life of Colorado’s infamous Silver King, Horace Tabor and his wife Baby Doe. Theirs was a love strong enough to endure the slings and arrows great wealth can bring. A divorced woman, she is unwelcome in ladies circles and his generosity is taken advantage of by those that surround him. Rebeca Rosenberg does a lovely job capturing the lavish details of their lifestyle and the bawdiness of the boom town mining days in Colorado. The story spans a tumultuous time when the Wild West was in the middle of growing pains and land grabs and back room deals were common. Tabor showers great wealth upon Baby Doe, divorces so that he marry her and risks his role as Senator for his love of her. She is devoted to him throughout his roller coaster career. It is a special love story, written with great care and depth into the emotions of the characters. In spite, of large jumps in the time frames that made me want to know more, I really enjoyed learning about Baby Doe. She climbed mountain to be with her husband who loved her more than any silver mine he owned. I will make it a point to go to the Tabor Grand Opera House designed by Baby Doe and financed by Tabor on my next visit to Colorado.
At first I found this story about a fallen woman with a heart of gold to be a little humdrum, until it occurred to me to check and see if Baby Doe was a real person. And indeed she was, which helped pique my interest. I suspect that if it wasn’t for her great beauty she wouldn’t have managed to get away with her unconventional behavior—if you could call it “getting away” with anything. Divorce in the late 19th century was anathema, and not only did she initiate her own divorce proceedings—Shocking!—she was responsible for another man divorcing his own wife and marrying her—Horrifying! She certainly let nothing stand in the way of her pursuit of happiness. Too bad her contemporaries couldn’t look past their own straight-laced prejudices; once Baby Doe’s bad reputation was established, there was nothing she could do to find acceptance in society—though she tried very hard. Marrying the wealthiest—and most generous—man in town gave her a veneer of respectability, but there was a limit to the public’s tolerance. The women all rejected her; but again, because she was so beautiful the men mostly cut her a lot of slack. She had many admirers ready to do just about anything for her. Even the president publicly supported her husband (and attended their wedding), though Tabor’s political career came to a screeching halt once it became common knowledge that he divorced his wife and married his mistress. Tabor’s reckless spending habits proved his downfall—with the help of government policy and the collapse of the silver standard—and of course Baby Doe fell with him. It’s a sad story—even when they are swimming in wealth. Does love conquer all? Judging by this belle’s life, the answer is no.
An Amazing Historical Fiction deserving of all the stars!
I love Rebecca Rosenberg! I enjoyed The Secret Life of Mrs London, and this one was just as amazing and a 5 star read for me.
Gold Digger is a wonderful story about a beautiful young woman, originally from Oshkosh Wisconsin Lizzy “Baby Doe” Tabor, a legend in her own right, and a woman well ahead of her time. From a very poor family, she marries into money and immediately leaves her struggling family to trek the Wild West and try to strike gold in Colorado, a mine given as a wedding present.
The harsh conditions working in the mine leaves her husband to go back home to his sheltered and privileged life, leaving and abandoning Baby Doe pregnant and alone to manage the mine. Through some exceptional friendships she has made, her life saved many times, she survives many ups and downs.
Horace Tabor has been unlucky in the mining prospects, and became an owner of the general store. Not accepting that as his lot in life, and against the better judgment of his wife and family, he continues to secretly prospect and one day had a lucky strike in discovering one of the biggest silver vein in history.
It was such a delight to learn the amazing history of the western mining and the details of how people then navigated the hardships, the role of the Chinese in these dangerous mines, how success goes hand in hand with wealth and politics, their philanthropic activities and societies that developed hotels and opera houses.
What a delightful read and a Historical Fiction at its finest!! My attention was captured from the very first page!!
Elizabeth McCourt Tabor better known as Baby Doe was a woman who came from poverty. She married Harvey Doe but later divorced him for a variety of reasons including not providing a living and abandonment. She was from Oshkosh, Wisconsin but moved with Harvey to Leadville Colorado.
She met Horace Tabor, mining millionaire, and owner of Leadville’s Matchless Mine. They fell in love and Horace tried to divorce his wife, Augusta of 25 years who denied him the divorce. He obtained a divorce in a different jurisdiction and married Baby Doe but was it legal? Because of their dalliance, divorces and subsequent marriage they were shunned by society.
They had two children but Baby Doe, still shunned by society but still donated money to charities. The Tabor’s were rich in silver and with the repeal of the Silver Act, Horace lost his fortune and had to take a job as postmaster in Denver in 1898. Baby Doe eventually had to take menial jobs to survive and eventually died supposedly as a ‘madwoman’.
I had read in the past a bit about Baby Doe and Horace and found the story fascinating. A story of a woman who goes from rags to riches and back to rags again. A strong woman who takes on her role as a woman who would work in the mines, as a homewrecker by falling in love with a married man and being called a gold digger. She is a legend among the women of the mining west. I always love reading a story of strong women and I read this book in two sittings. Fascinating story, I think if you love a fast-paced, character-driven, based on real people, then go get a copy of this book! I highly recommend it!
This fascinating account of the origins of the silver mining industry in Colorado and its captivating heroine grabs you from the first page. The true saga of Lizzie “Baby Doe“ Tabor follows her journey from a comfortable upbringing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to the Wild West of Colorado, after her family loses everything in a tragic fire. Despite experiencing more than her fair share of trials and tribulations, she determines to support herself and to send money back home to her impoverished family. The indomitable Baby Doe embarks on a successful but lonely path to get what she wants by bucking all of the conventional social norms imposed on women in that day. The turning point in this riveting tale is when Baby Doe meets Horace Tabor and her life is changed forever. The author’s clever title begs the question: was Lizzie really a Gold Digger?