The Ballad of Hattie Taylor

October 5, 2020
Andersen (It Had to Be You) loads this addictive historical romance with charismatic characters and well-handled drama. In 1899, 11-year-old Hattie Taylor is sent to Mattawa, Ore., to live with a distant relative following the death of her father. Hattie, who’s spent her young life running wild in Nevada, is way out of her element in her “aunt” Augusta’s genteel world. Augusta’s son, 22-year-old Jacob Murdock, is initially appalled by his mother’s decision to take in the hellion, but to his surprise, he grows quite fond of Hattie, finding her guts and exuberance a breath of fresh air. Hattie, for her part, has a girlish crush on Jacob and dreams of marrying him when she grows up—despite his betrothal to someone else. The pair remain close through Jacob’s marriage, the death of his wife and child, and Hattie’s maturation from girl to woman. Their friendship eventually transforms into love, though it hits some traumatizing bumps along the way, as when Hattie is raped by the family lawyer. Andersen tackles this sensitive subject with the utmost care, and does a good job handling Hattie and Jacob’s transition into lovers, though some readers will be turned off by the age gap and familial relationship between them. A powerful plot, vibrant characterization, and stirring dialogue make this romance a delight. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

March 12, 2021
When orphaned 11-year-old Hattie arrives to stay with her distant cousin, aristocratic Augusta Witherspoon Murdock, she is dressed in boy's coveralls and, having been raised in a mining camp, casually peppers her speech with ""sonovabitch"" exclamations. Augusta's 22-year-old son, Jake, likes the feisty kid who is bright, inquisitive, and seemingly fearless. Making friends is tough for Hattie with her blazing red hair and suddenly developing and voluptuous body, but Moses Marks, who sat behind her the first week of school and dipped her braid into his bottle of ink, thus bringing them to blows, becomes her one and only ally outside the Murdock family. Dividing their time between the small town of Mattawa, Oregon, where Jake practices law, and the ranch where he raises cattle and horses, Hattie grows up with a crush on Jake and admiration for his wife who represents the epitome of womanhood in the first decade of the twentieth century. Graduating second in her class, Hattie plans to attend Seattle Normal School to become a teacher, but a series of life-ending and life-changing disasters leads to an unexpected future. Andersen's unique blend of romance, evocative historical detail, Western love story, and legal thriller brings the society, customs, and mores of the beginning of the last century vividly to life with characters who seem much more known than imagined. A great choice for book clubs.

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