Title: Flagstaff’s Forgotten Cowgirl: The Journals of Lizzie Hoffman
Author: J.K. Hoffman
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1984541109
Pages: 288
Genre: Literature & Fiction/Westerns/Action & Adventure
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Pacific Book Review
Theologian William Barclay once said, “There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born and the day we discover why.” In author J.K. Hoffman’s novel Flagstaff’s Forgotten Cowgirl: The Journals of Lizzie Hoffman, no one embodies that statement more than protagonist Lizzie Hoffman. A historical fiction and western like no other, the author brings a fictitious account filling in the blanks of Lizzie Hoffman’s life that challenged gender norms and found a strong woman with a mind to live life on her own terms.
In this novel, author J.K. Hoffman brings to readers a true to life western which is filled with tragedy, heartbreak, love and loss. From her childhood beginnings living on a cattle ranch to the big move to Arizona, falling in love for the first time, fighting to live the rough and tumble life only men were allowed to live in those days, and the tragedies that defined much of her life, it’s an emotional roller-coaster which brings the readers an honest and real feeling of life in the west at the end of the 19th century and the turn of the 20th century.
What really will stick out in readers’ minds are both the creative use of journals to tell Lizzie’s story, and the attention to detail the author gives when getting into Lizzie’s mindset. Told through the words of Lizzie herself, this historical fiction delves into the dangers of life on a cattle ranch, the fears of bandits and criminals, and the roles of men and women in this era. The detail of the setting is equally matched to the author’s command of the narrative, as even her earliest years show a young woman still learning and coming to understand the world around her.
This is a book for anyone who enjoys a good western, historical fiction or strong female protagonists fighting against the gender norms beset on them from both society and their own family. This is a story of independence, family, and what we are willing to do for those things and for love in general. As a fan of history and historical fiction, this book spoke to me as I became fascinated with the era and seeing how much detail went into describing life living off the land – so to speak – in that time period.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. Filled with heart, emotion and a realism that is rarely seen in historical fiction, the story’s format creates a narrative which leaves readers hooked. It’s a fairly even paced read that fans of the genre will instantly fall in love with, so if you haven’t yet be sure to grab your copy of Flagstaff’s Forgotten Cowgirl: The Journals of Lizzie Hoffman by J.K. Hoffman today!
