Gabrielle Sunfire

I have read and enjoyed all Sunfires to a certain degree. I really enjoy this one because it isn't the usual choice for a YA historical. If they hadn't chosen such an unusual setting, many Sunfire readers would have been cheated of an interesting less chronicled slice of history.I see the writers point in having Gabrielle on land for so long, growing up learning her lesson, etc etc. But it was a bit longer than necesary. It wouldn't have been a problem for the earlier longer books, but the later series was shorter, so the ending of the book was very abrupt. Stepen and Gabrielle needed more time to develop, maybe a "seeing him in a new light after her time on land" sort of thing. The time on the boat was the best. It was interesting reading, fast paced and varied with colorful realstic characters. The land characters were mostly caricatures, and David had no appeal at all. The exception as intended is david's Grandmother, the only worthwhile bits of reading the farm portion.As a Sunfire heroine, Gabrielle is pretty good. She has most of the Sunfire hallmarks; pretty, niave, immature but matures through the book, smart & likable. I don't like how self absorbed she is written though. The cover art is one of my favorites from Sunfire.Despite the fact that I think other Sunfires are better, Gabrielle still grabs me and remains one of my favorites.

I enjoyed the book and the wonderful setting in the opening. Although, I liked the book and it's wonderful tale of a girl who grows up on a showboat I didn't enjoy the fact she left it half way through the book to arrive at a boring scene in the countryside. I enjoy wonderful books about girls and their lives in the country but the way the story runs a person becomes unentertained and starts wanting to flip ahead to the return of Gabrielle on the boat. I found the ending adorable and enjoyable which brought my 2 rating (which began as a 5 in the beginning) back up to a 4. It was a book that helps a person come to appreciate their world and the people within it.

I have read, reread and kept all 32 Sunfire books. Gabrielle by Mary Francis Shura is a historical and romantic story about a 16 year old girl growing up on her father's showboat. She must make some important decisions in her life, including choosing her true love. I thought that this was an interesting scene for the backdrop of a Sunfire novel. This book does not disappoint!

Gabrielle's father runs a showboat on the Mississippi River shortly after the Civil War. Gabrielle is in love with a young farmer but that would mean leaving the life she knows and loves. How can Gabrielle choose what kind of life to lead?