Harriet Rochlin has given us a gift: three stories about feisty Freida Goldson and her ambitious husband, Benny, as they settle and struggle in Arizona during the 1880s. Readers of Rachel Calof's story by Jacob Calof and the Diary of Mattie Spencer by Sandra Dallas will be equally intrigued by Rochlin's Desert Dwellers Trilogy. On Her Way Home can stand on its own, but to really appreciate Frieda's strength--and Rochlin's achievement-- read The Reformer's Apprentice and The First Lady of Dos Cacahuantes in sequence. The stories are wonderful for book clubs, for readers who like historical fiction, and for anyone who appreciates how much women had to overcome to reach their present equality. Frieda is Jewish so her story reveals little known information about the Jewish experience in the West. Rochlin's research is outstanding.

"On Her Way Home," the third novel in the Desert Dweller's Trilogy, deomonstrates Harriet Rochlin's uncanny ability to enter the hearts and minds of her 1880s characters. A wonderful, rollicking read, the book is as contemporary in its psychological insights as it is historically accurate. I highly recommend this book to all those interested in reading a good story about interesting people living in a vivid, vital slice of time.

This fascinating story gives us a dark view of pioneer life in the form of the criminal justice system and its distructive effect on women who are caught up in it. Women do not count. Unless the woman is Frieda Goldson whose ferocious will takes her far from home to the side of her abducted and abused younger sister. When the girl is falsely jailed for murder Frieda pits herself against a primitive justice system that shows little mercy. Author Harriet Rochlin once again gives us the experience, superbly rich in the details of sight, sounds, taste and smells, of living in an earlier, harsher time. Excellent writing.

"I much admire Harriet Rochlin's latest work, The First Lady of Dos Cacahuates. Freida and Bennie are as engaging a couple as one could meet in the pages of an historical novel; and Ms. Rochlin's command of her research--in the interest of fiction--is not only impeccable, but sensitive as well. The portrayal of Jews in this western setting could become either stereotype or caricature, but Rochlin invests her narrative, her people, and their lives with fully dimensioned frshness and energy."

I'm about half way through this book now, and I've found myself checking the binding several times to see if it has a YA (Young Adult) sticker. I'm in a mother-daughter book group and this book reads like something we would read there - geared for a younger audience. I was immediately attracted to the book in the library since I live in SF, am Jewish and love reading about the late 1800's/early 1900's. Unless the book gets somehow inappropriate later on, I'll recommend it to my 11 year old. So, while the subject matter is interesting, there doesn't seem to be the depth that I'd expect.

Although the plot is somewhat hokey, it is refreshing to see a novel centering around a strong Jewish woman in the 1800's. Although the basis for the story (Jewish girl needs to chose between her parent's culture or making a new life for herself with the man she loves) is intriguing, the writing falls flat. The characters aren't quite one dimensional, but do seem a bit cardboard. All in all, a fine read for an afternoon by the pool, but nothing for posterity.