“An engaging escapade with a feisty female lead.” – Kirkus Reviews“A beautifully written story. A must-read for those who are striving to fulfill their dreams…” – Seattle Book Review“An epic and gripping work of historical fiction… the perfect historical read for fans of pioneering heroes and tales of triumph over discrimination.” (Reader’s Favorite 5-Star Review) In the devastating aftermath …
In the devastating aftermath of the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, 19-year-old Anna Gallagher faces considerable pressure to marry well and soon. But she has no intention of giving up her freedom to keep house. She wants to be the first woman to summit Mount Rainier.
Anna’s grandfather couldn’t disapprove more. And after he discovers that she’s befriended a Duwamish woman in the forest, he threatens to disown her completely.
Still, her resolve to summit doesn’t waver until she meets a fisherman who seems to love adventure as much as she does. He’s not the kind of high society gentleman who could save their family’s finances after the fire, but he adores her and treats her like an equal.
Mountaineering through glaciers, avalanches, and frozen temperatures might cause Anna’s family to disown her forever. It might even ruin any future marriage prospects. But if she succeeds in reaching the icy peak, she could pioneer the way for women mountaineers, and create a new identify for herself, something she’s been longing for her whole life.
Inspired by the trailblazing women of the 19th century who dared to summit Mount Rainier, In Sight of the Mountain is a charming coming-of-age story, but it also casts the reader’s gaze upon issues of colonialism, class, and women’s far-too-narrow options.
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(Audiobook version)
Emigrating to the Pacific Northwest from Ireland as a child after losing her parents and grandmother to disease, Anna Gallagher’s story truly begins with the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 when she is nineteen years old.
Independent and unconventional, Anna doesn’t want the life dictated by society—that of a silent, submissive wife of a man of means. She wants to travel and explore the world and experience new things. But the first experience she yearns for looms above her every day… Mt Rainier. The mountain has called to her since her childhood and Anna would give anything to be the first woman to complete a summit to its peak.
But respectable young ladies don’t climb mountains or visit childhood friends who now work in brothels, or befriend Native American women indigenous to the area.
Nor do they secretly apply to join a summer expedition to summit to the mountain.
But Anna Gallagher does all these things… and she is respectable and lives within the guidelines her grandfather has set for her. Most of the time. Okay, sometimes.
Shunning the advances of a young doctor, Anna is resolved to living her life alone, knowing she’ll never find a man who will support her dreams. When her older brother, Levi, returns from sea for the winter, he brings a friend who makes Anna rethink being part of a couple. Ben doesn’t make fun of her opinions and even agrees to teach her unladylike things like archery. Ben also agrees to help Anna solve the mystery of the notes found inside a Russian copy of Anna Karenina, and Anna knows she’s found a soulmate. But her grandfather would never allow her to marry a common fisherman, and Ben has secrets of his own.
Though she walks a fine line between societal mores and living life on her own terms, this well-written character does so with more grace and maturity than most of those around her. Family condemnation, bigotry, sexism, elitism, and new love are some of the things Anna deals with in In Sight of the Mountain, but at its heart it’s about what a young woman has to sacrifice simply to realize her dreams.
Honestly, the YA label almost made me pass this one by, but I’m glad I didn’t, and those who enjoy historical fiction and women’s fiction will enjoy Anna’s story and it’s wonderful narration.
Enjoy!
Excellent Heroine and Story
What a well-written, cracking good read! This book was wonderful on so many levels. First, the author pulls you right into the story with an exceptionally well-described depiction of the Great Fire of Seattle in 1889. We experience it through the heroine, Anna, and I swear I could smell the smoke and see the ash; the author did that good of a job. The heroine is also just a fantastic character. She felt confined by her family’s and society’s expectations. She desperately wants to climb Mount Rainier, making her the first woman to do so if she succeeds. Her family threatens to disown her if she pursues her wild dreams. She is such a strong character, just wants to be who she authentically is, even if that goes against what society requires and her family demands. I read a lot of historical fiction, and as a modern woman, it’s hard to imagine living in times when women’s choices and what they were allowed to do were so limited. The author did an excellent job showing this, from how it worked in society and how it affected the heroine. I live in the Pacific Northwest myself, and I loved the descriptions of our gorgeous part of the world.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This review is also available on my blog: Wine Cellar Library
I was immediately captivated by the cover. I could easily identify with Anna, as Mount Rainier has always captivated me. I am someone who loves hiking. The highest peak I have ever attempted was Mount Baldy in California, with a summit at just over 10,000 feet. My group had to stop at 9,000 feet due to a serious injury sustained by a hiker in another group on the mountain that required air evacuation. (The other group was only equipped with line-of-sight radios, while our leader had a radio that connected him with local law enforcement. The injured man’s leg was crushed by a boulder that fell on him during an avalanche.) Even though we didn’t summit, the fact that we hiked that far together in a single day, with full rucksacks and medical aid bags and crampons and rope, is one of my proudest moments. We spent the night at 9,000 feet in “ranger graves” dug into the snow and hiked back down the next morning.
I am now eager to climb Mount Rainier. I think I can do it. Enough about me, though!
Even if you are not a mountaineer or a hiker, you will appreciate Anna’s determination and her desire to just be appreciated for who she is. She is far from the quiet housewife that society expects her to be, who only speaks to her husband when spoken to. Instead, she is full of vitality, adventure, intelligence, and compassion for others. She has an ability to read a person’s true nature without succumbing to the collective opinion; her best friends are a prostitute and a Native American woman, and although both friendships threaten Anna’s reputation as a marriageable woman, she is undeterred.
Anna feels like a burden to her grandfather and his wife and wants to find a partner, but she refuses to marry anyone who would stifle her in any way. Her grandfather and her brother are determined to marry her to a man of good means. Unfortunately, this leaves her few viable options. The only man who sees her for her is the very man her brother warned her not to fall for.
This story is one part coming of age, one part historical fiction, one part early feminism, and one part budding romance. From the first few pages, I was completely enamored with this tale, and it proved to be one of the best books I have read this year. I am simply amazed that this is a debut novel. I received a free Kindle edition as a review copy, but I discovered that the author sells signed paperback editions on her website and I will definitely be purchasing a one to cherish and reread in the future. I can’t wait to have this beautiful cover grace my bookshelf!
Thank you to Book Sprout and the author for a free Kindle edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A well written story that drew me in from the start, by an Author I have not read before and it looks like this is her debut book. Nineteen-year-old Anna has a dream to be the first woman to summit Mount Rainier the year is 1889. She meets Ben who she thinks is a fisherman. This is an emotional story especially when her Grandfather tells her and her friend Heather a Duwamish woman a secret he has kept for years. I recommend this book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Fascinating, engaging, and rich!
In Sight of the Mountain is a heartwarming, atmospheric tale set in Seattle during the late 1880s that takes you into the life of Anna Gallagher, a nineteen-year-old-girl who yearns to be more than just a wife and mother, and who finds through her unusual friendship with a young Duwamish woman the excitement she craves and the mettle she needs to train and pursue her greatest wish, to become the first woman ever to successfully summit the treacherous Mount Rainier.
The prose is evocative and fluid. The characters are feisty, driven, and independent. And the compelling, well-paced plot is an adventurous journey filled with familial drama, heartbreak, life, loss, courage, self-discovery, hope, friendship, romance, and love.
Overall, In Sight of the Mountain is an absorbing, well-written novel by McGillen that showcases her passion and knowledge for Pacific Northwest history and highlights humanities ability to dream, strive, conquer, endure, and still seek love in times of political upheaval, natural disasters, extreme prejudice, and social oppression.
I enjoyed reading this novel and getting to know the characters. During a time when women were very restricted in what they could do, it was very inspirational to read of one woman’s determination to live life her way. I would recommend this book to other readers who enjoy historical novels.
A lovely book about a young woman in 1890’s in Seattle. Despite pressure to marry, Anna, the main character, is determined to climb Mt. Rainier at a time when no woman had climbed it before. Interesting look at Seattle and the social customs and mores of the late 1800’s.
I did not finish this book. I read over half, but it did not hold my interest. I got tired of “the mountain”! I have so many wonderful books I don’t want to waste my precious time on an uninteresting book.
This is not your ordinary romance, though it does contain romance. It’s a good look at early Seattle and issues of the time, with a captivating heroine who doesn’t want to settle for an ordinary life.
While reading this book, I found myself drawn into the characters and story line. I’m married to a strong willed woman whom I admire immensely. The main character, Anna strikes me as just as strong if not stronger. As the other characters are brought in to the mix, the different personalities show as well as the view of the times, Anna is faced with. As a guy, I will never experience what she went through and can only imagine the frustration she must have felt. Most guys would not enjoy this book as I did but I highly recommend it to those women who want to break out of the shell they find themselves of the situation they’re experiencing.
This was a very different story. Not the typical boy meets girl. I enjoyed it.
Great book.
This book got better as it went along, but not my favorite
A great story of a young girls going after her dreams, even when her dreams do not coincide with the times.
Well-researched historical setting provides non-judgmental insight into life in the late 1800’s. Family tension. Societal expectations. Defied by a feisty heroine who follows her heart.
What a phenomenal book! In Sight of the Mountain tells the story of Anna Gallagher, a woman in the late 1890s who wants nothing more than to climb Mt. Rainier. Unfortunately, what’s expected of her as a young woman is to get married, settle down and “follow the pecking order” if you will. Anna is determined to make the climb by any means necessary. She is torn between her family obligations and her dreams. I loved the development of Anna’s character throughout the book and I also found her friendship with Heather to be such a beautiful part of the book. The development of each supporting character was also wonderfully done and each character had a prominent role in Anna’s life and the story as a whole. I have been to Tacoma and have seen Mt. Rainier in the distance and it’s truly breathtaking. This story was so heartwarming and I loved the hint of a love story we were able to see throughout the novel. Such a well written book. I’m excited to have the sequel in hand so I can read that too!
Whoa! I really enjoyed this book (and the sequel) how are these not all over bookstagram? I am so glad that my book club brought these to my attention. This book follows a feisty female heroine who wants to become a mountaineer in the late 1800s. A rockstar female lead who reminds us that women can accomplish what they set their mind to despite what others think. A tale of adventure, friendship, with some romance entertwined it is a great read that I highly recommend snatching up!
THIS BOOK guys 10/10! Read this book for a rollercoaster of emotions: happiness, anger, excitement sadness, hopefulness, etc. This book has them all! I loved Anna she was so courageous and knew what she wanted and took it. I also liked how we got a glimpse about how life as a woman was like back then, we can see that and see how much we have progressed! This book is definitely an eye opener. Moral of the book: follow your dreams, anything is possible!!!
Jamie McGillen’s debut novel is a delightful read centering on Anna Gallagher’s quest to find her place in late nineteenth century society. Her passion for the outdoors is at odds with the expectations of the day, particularly that she stay in her sphere and do things that women SHOULD do. From the Seattle setting to the love story with Ben (I will love Ben foreverrrr), this story will leave you feeling charmed and satisfied. Don’t miss this first in an EXCELLENT series!
The author really pulls you in and gets you to feel certain ways about each character in the book during such a time in history. In a way this book is very inspiring. This book is set in a time when women are suppose to dress and act a certain way and I love how Jamie writes and portrays Anna Gallagher’s character. She has her push the boundaries of the norm for how a lady she be in society. Anna has a dream and she is going to pursue it no matter what.