The daughter of Polish immigrants growing up in the 1830s on the Missouri frontier, Nadya knew she was not like other girls. But when she became a woman and the Change came, she discovered just how different she was. For Nadya was a shape changer, a werewolf like her Polish immigrant mother and father before her.
After coming through a great personal tragedy brought about by her trusting nature and burgeoning sexuality, Nadya heads west to California, seeking a place to be wild and free. Nadya befriends the more cultured Elizabeth and the prepubescent Jenny, and together, the three young women fight their way across the vast American frontier. En route, they encounter rattlesnakes, Indians, the remains of the cannibalistic Donner party, and Elizabeth’s repressed sexuality, which leads to an affair between her and Nadya.
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"Hard to bear the pain."
— Becky (4 out of 5 stars)
“Thoughtful and entertaining.”
— San Francisco Chronicle“With its strong heroines and passionate storyline filled with romance, adventure and dangers both physical and moral, this novel will appeal to a wide array of readers, not just those who shiver with delight when the moon is full and the wolf’s bane blooms.”
— Publishers Weekly“Based on thorough research, featuring convincing characterizations, and sparked by a page-turning pace (despite the fact it is so richly detailed that you want to slow down now and then), this is a comprehensively excellent yarn.”
— Booklist“This historical fantasy, sympathetic to wolves, is highly recommended.”
— Library Journal“Rousing historical fantasy…Intense and gripping, with lots of authentic background detail.”
— Kirkus Reviews" I'm always on the lookout for werewolf books. While this one was entertaining, there were a lot of issues in it that bugged me. I thought Nadya's personality kept changing throughout the book. Her relationship with Elizabeth was the most disappointing part. There was like.... no emotion. "
— Amy, 1/27/2012" It was Ok - an unusual take on the werewolf story but a bit repetative. "
— Sc, 2/10/2011" This was a book that had such great potential and could have been expounded upon greatly. Some parts were long and drawn out and others left you wanting for more to fill in the characters. "
— Machelle, 6/13/2010" It was Ok - an unusual take on the werewolf story but a bit repetative. "
— Sc, 6/4/2010" I'm always on the lookout for werewolf books. While this one was entertaining, there were a lot of issues in it that bugged me. I thought Nadya's personality kept changing throughout the book. Her relationship with Elizabeth was the most disappointing part. There was like.... no emotion. "
— Amy, 9/4/2008" Although I like her other books, I just couldn't get into this one. It's going on the shelf. <br/> <br/>Themes include tolerance: racial, religious, sexual, and lycanthropic. Set in the Wild West. "
— kvon, 2/14/2008Pat Murphy has won numerous awards for her science fiction and fantasy writing, including the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the World Fantasy Award. When not writing science fiction, she writes for the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s museum of science, art, and human perception. She lives in San Francisco.
Kirsten Potter has won several awards, including more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a three-time finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. Her work has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and by AudioFile magazine, among many others. She graduated with highest honors from Boston University and has performed on stage and in film and television, including roles on Medium, Bones, and Judging Amy.