In the Spirit of 'True Grit', a Young Girl's Mission - an Editorial Review of "Sarita"

Book Blurb:

"A powerful tale of revenge and perseverance in the face of danger. " - Kirkus Reviews

"Not since True Grit have we celebrated a plucky young girl on a mission to set her turbulent, dusty world right ..." - David Marion Wilkinson, award winning author

"Libraries and readers seeking powerful elements of history and thriller that share equal billing in their depth and deployment will find Sarita an exceptional aquisition." - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"(Dossett) possesses a firm grasp of the landscapes and culture of the Wild West and strikingly demonstrates this through her narration." - Lily Andrews, reviewer at Feathered Quill

In the summer of 1920, nineteen-year-old Sarita’s younger brother, JJ, bleeds to death in her arms after being shot by Javier Salsito de Ortega, a ruthless tequila smuggler. The Texas Rangers have their hands full with Prohibition and border issues. Still, Sarita is stunned when they refuse to help.

JJ’s death devastates her father. Without a male heir, Sarita fears he will give in to the oil prospector intent on buying their family ranch, La Barroneña. Even in his despair, she knows her father yearns for justice, but he is too ill and weak to seek it.

Sarita isn’t.

Determined to prove herself and change her fate, she crosses the Rio Grande into a world of deadly threats––from rattlesnakes to Pancho Villa’s rebels to the very killer she’s hunting. Quickly, Sarita realizes she’s stumbled into a web of danger far bigger and more sinister than she imagined. If she is caught, the consequences could jeopardize innocent lives and put her father’s safety at risk.

In a tumultuous landscape of social and political upheaval, what lines will Sarita have to cross to survive? Will her relentless pursuit of justice exact a price too steep to bear? If she succeeds––if she gets home––will she have earned her father’s respect? Will she have secured her family’s future?

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/0e1At2

Author Bio:

Natalie Musgrave Dossett grew up in San Antonio, spending a great deal of time on family ranches in deep South Texas. A seventh-generation Texan, she was raised on tales (some of them tall) of the Wild Horse Desert. Her love of history and writing was nurtured by wonderful high school teachers and strengthened while earning a BA in History at Vanderbilt University. She lives in Dallas where she enjoys a large, growing family with her husband.

Editorial Review:

“Sunlight shifted through the oak canopy above, golden rays glistening on my fingers, slick with blood and gloved in small brown and gray feathers. I picked up another quail from the pile at my feet, popping the head off and snapping the fragile wing bones. As I plucked it clean, small tufts of down sailed away like dandelion seeds, floating with the buzz of locusts and grasshoppers on the summer breeze. The lazy sound reminded me of childhood naps in the shade of the big live oak behind our house, of waking up in a hazy sweat to Mama’s dinner call. My mother lay buried under that tree now, and everything had changed.”

“Sarita” by Natalie Musgrave Dossett is unputdownable. Oh, it’s finished now, reluctantly, but there is a severe and noticeable book hangover, and still the opportunity to furtively scroll back to favourite scenes, to remember, and to contemplate standout sentences and memorable characters. The storyline is set in Texas and Mexico in the 1920s and it’s hot and dusty and tragic and urgent and just so real. The Rio Grande is timeless and Dossett’s writing evokes an incredible sense of place; is it wrong to consider a river a character?

Sarita is the main character, a teenager living on the La Barroneña Ranch with her widowed father. Tragedy strikes more than once, changing the course of her life and allowing a magnificent character arc to unfold. All those who revel in this type of storyline and historical novels with female protagonists will know exactly what is meant by the word “agency”. All who cry out for historical adventure with a female main character with derring-do and sass (but who, of course, still wants paternal approval!) need to read this book. Sarita is no-one’s sidekick, and, frankly, familial revenge is the ultimate motivator and a powerful theme. Happily, also, she is no Mary-Sue, with her flaws and authenticity keeping the storyline firmly grounded (except for, well, swashbuckling female adventure and without wanting to labor the point too much, agency).

Sarita is surrounded by a band of vividly drawn secondary characters, and the novel contains both good and bad characters, together with those whose behavior may land somewhere in between. Both male and female characters are convincingly portrayed, with realistic dialogue and roles in the story. While Sarita is determined, she faces considerable danger and must make difficult choices. What is also interesting is the author’s reference at one point to Sarita weighing up self-preservation, which makes her a more human depiction than the stereotypical hero(ine) who recklessly wades in to rescue both friends and strangers without a care for their own safety.

The use of language creates an emotional backstory, particularly for her family. Her father’s lament is heart-breaking and no doubt encapsulates the story of many pioneer men and families of that era. Life in those early settler times was harsh and unforgiving. Any of us who have suffered loss as a teenager may find the pages blurring at times; throughout history, the pain of bereavement remains constant.

“A round piece of stained glass sparkled like an amethyst in the center of the small chapel’s façade. Carved stones had been embedded in the clay surrounding its open doorway, through which I could see a simple wooden retable at the back of the room. Each of the thick walls, except for the back one where the altar stood, had two tall, arched windows. They’d been left open, giving the church an airy feeling, like a beautiful birdcage.”

The pacing of “Sarita” is well thought out; there are action scenes but also times of reflection and more measured writing. The book has all the hallmarks of the start of a family saga, and this reviewer is anxiously searching for any hint of a sequel. The inclusion of Prohibition themes introduces a further historical dimension to what is already a strong premise with a clever ending.

““There’s a desert between here and Múzquiz, amiga,” said Alicia, shaking her head. “It’s too dangerous to cross by yourself. You’d get eaten by a puma or defiled by a desperado. Why don’t you just tell the Rangers what Mozo said?”

“Hearsay is not enough to get their attention,” I replied. “Besides, what if Mozo’s wrong? What if there’s nothing there?”

“Then none of it matters,” she said. “Why take such a risk?” “Because if he’s right, it would change everything.”

“Sarita” by Natalie Musgrave Dossett is compulsory reading for those readers who love historical novels, and a wonderfully evocative mix of history, personality, and adventure through Texas and Mexico. Sarita’s character arc makes this novel a real page-turner as she battles social norms, her need for vengeance, and her father’s perspectives. This book set in the times of Prohibition will definitely cause a hangover, just of a different kind!

*****

“Sarita” by Natalie Musgrave Dossett receives 5 stars from The Historical Fiction Company and the "Highly Recommended" award of excellence

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