About this book
A California Girl by Edward Eldridge invites listeners into turn-of-the-century California, where ranch life, small-town ties, and the pressures of progress shape the fates of ordinary people. This literary fiction novel follows a cast of vivid characters — Clara Lawton, the steadfast Ben West fresh from the Klondike, the contemplative Penloe, and a circle of neighbors facing love, labor, and moral trials — as personal dramas unfold against the wide landscapes and social currents of early 1900s America.
Eldridge blends social realism with a gentle moral vision, writing for working men and women and exploring themes of community, faith, class mobility, and the search for meaning in changing times. Moments on the porch and in the pulpit, a wedding in Orangeville, and the echoes of frontier adventure build a layered portrait of rural California and its people without heavy-handed sermonizing.
Ideal for fans of historical fiction and classic literature, A California Girl offers a character-driven, reflective listening experience—perfect for commuters, book-club members, and anyone who enjoys nuanced portrayals of ordinary lives shaped by extraordinary eras.
