Bargain Bride

An honest story that showed how women were treated as property but sweet in her resulting story. And I think her name was spelled correctly. Ginny can be a nickname for Virginia. another Ginny

Yes! I am so glad to see this book available at last. Bargain Bride is the story of Ginny (possibly spelled wrong). Only a teenager, she is married off to an elderly farmer in the Oregon Territory, a bargain struck by relatives who feel burdoned by her care. Her new husband only marries her in order to gain access to more land through the Homestead Act, but Ginny scarcely has time to worry about the marriage because, within a week, her husband dies. Ginny immediately inherits all the land and is left a wealthy widow living alone in a frontier community. She is soon considered the catch of the county, but will Ginny marry for security and companionship before noticing the feelings of real love hidden right under her nose?

As a child, I have to confess I enjoyed Lampman's fantasy novels more, but as an adult, I am only beginning to respect her talent for presenting history in a wonderful, entertaining way. She is especially advanced in her character treatment of Native Americans. ALL of her books are worth looking up in the libraries (as might be expected, libraries in Portland have more than usual). I don't understand why she is out of print, her books are wonderful for classroom reading. Any teachers, I highly recommend her books.