The rose of old St. Louis.

On the Mississippi frontier, where French and Spanish and American worlds meet, a young woman moves through a city on the brink of enormous change, and history and romance become impossible to separate.

What it's about

The Rose of Old St. Louis is a historical novel set in and around St. Louis in the era of the Louisiana Purchase, when the vast territory changed hands and the character of the young United States was reshaped. Against this backdrop of shifting flags and westward ambition, the story follows its characters through adventure, intrigue and courtship, using the drama of a real historical turning point as the frame for its romance.

Themes

The novel plays on the meeting of cultures — French, Spanish, American — at a frontier crossroads, and on the way great public events sweep up private lives. Loyalty, courage and love are tested against the uncertainty of a place and a nation in transition.

Why it still matters

As popular historical fiction of its period, the book captures the romance an earlier America attached to its own frontier past, and to the Louisiana Purchase in particular. It offers a vivid, atmospheric picture of old St. Louis at a pivotal moment, and the enduring pleasures of a well-turned historical adventure.

Who it's for

For readers who enjoy historical romance and frontier adventure, for those curious about the Louisiana Purchase and early St. Louis, and for anyone who likes their history dressed in the colour and incident of a good story.