It was March of 1812, the month when wagon-ruts were filled with cold, dark puddles – the month of mud and suicide in New England.

Kondazian writes with incredible sympathy for all of her characters, even the villains, which left me wanting to do some research of my own about Charley Parkhurst and gain a better understanding of her incredible story. Information and details about the stagecoach era were great. My absolute, hands-down, favorite part was the list of rules issued by the stagecoach company. I had to read them aloud to everyone in the room. So funny. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or bacon fat. Add the onions and sauté until they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Transfer to a blender.Sandwiched between Emma's disastrous marriage to Barney (to be fair, it's not his fault) & Luke's continual menace to life & limb, we have cholera epidemics, unrequited love, daughters entering into prostitution, & near-terminal angst. I certainly wasn't expecting this much lustiness in my first Cookson This was a fantastic book. I could not put it down. I’ve recommended it to anyone who would listen. This is an easy read that keeps you engaged and impressed by a strong woman. The book club criticisms that this book is too “fictionalized” is absurd. This book is exactly as promoted – historical fiction. I’ve never found book clubs any fun. They take themselves too seriously. The participants usually act pretentiously as though they are of superior intelligence. They really are a bore to those of us who actually are of superior intelligence 🙂 The Whip may not appeal to people who are looking for stuffy, complicated prose. When I finished it, I couldn’t wait to try to find the grave of Charley in Watsonville – which is right down the road from me. I’ve done a lot of reading – and this ranks right up there with one of the best books ever. There are only a few other books I’ve found as inspirational and memorable. Stars. Best book for me in 2014, I had so many Omg moments. It had abandonment love hate murder everything you can think of. The chapter’s are very short . A very easy read .Great book. stars. From the moment I started Whip I could not put it down. I could see Karen’s depth of research that she put into the development of her character. Truly a magnificent novel. I look forward to seeing the Whip as a film. So when tragedy comes to the farm donning white sheets and masks, and fueled by racism and a personal anger that is definitely not brotherly, Charlotte heads out West to California, where she hopes she will find the master of her misery and exact well-deserved and long-overdue revenge. Instead what Charlotte finds is a new life as Charley Parkhurst, stagecoach driver and Sacramento resident. Although small and slim, Charley manages to pass as a man, although the parts of the narrative told from Charley’s point of view continue to use female pronouns, suggesting that Charley never thought of herself as male. Whether this was the case in real life is not clear, but for the purpose of the book, Charley’s dual identity is necessary because of the various relationships she has during the second half of her life, one of which is as a woman with a local gambler she periodically trysts with in San Francisco, and another as a man with an actress and her daughter who live with Charley as caretakers of a sort. I will not describe this section of the book in much more detail, because it is difficult not to venture into serious spoiler territory, but I will say that this was the most problematic part of the book for me.

The Whip This was a mostly fictional story about a real person, Charlotte “Charley” Parkhurst, a woman living out her adult life as a male stagecoach driver, then logger, in the late 1800s. Very little is known about her since she took her secrets to the grave. Karen Kondazian managed a well written and entertaining story woven around what few facts are known, imagining how this might have come to be, so it’s main value is entertainment, much like many of the Hollywood ‘based on’ movies. Still, what a fascinating story. It would make a great movie. For a first time author whose lifetime career has been as an actress, it was a satisfying read. A favorite passage:Charley was the first woman to vote in America in 1868 (as a man). Her grave lies in Watsonville, California. Stars. Multi-layered magic –“The Whip” surprised me – beyond fine prose, you have the opportunity to delve into hearts and minds you would never expect to think of.

This means the vote is not whipped, and MPs may vote as they wish. Free votes are one of the few occasions when members of the government – usually bound to support the government position by the convention of collective cabinet responsibility – can express their independent opinion in the Commons. Traditionally, free votes have been held on matters of conscience, such as fox hunting and assisted dying, when it is accepted that MPs of the same party may have different views. In some circumstances, free votes can be used as a way of managing internal party politics – particularly when there are strongly held and competing views among the party leadership. In such cases, allowing a free vote can prevent an embarrassing government defeat or party rebellion.The Whip” is a beautifully written story of the Old West that moves between the exploits of Charley and the heartbreak of his/her secret. This is a very entertaining and emotionally moving reading. She tried to take all this in. That the woman in her had died in anguish and a vengeful man had been born in her place apparently brooked no notice of the universe. Nor had the universe even blinked in the absorption into itself of her tragedy. Based on the life of stagecoach driver Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst (1812-1879), this historical novel starts out on the east coast and goes clear to the west coast, which took months by boat in those days.