Introduction

An artistic, sympathetic imagining of the life of a 19th-century woman who made headlines for all the wrong reasons. - Kirkus Reviews

In this eloquent novel, Stein portrays the independent, eccentric, and resilient woman known as Baby Doe, a legendary figure from Colorado's silver boom. ...Stein's blend of love story, scandal, and mystical experience is satisfying and entertaining. - Publishers Weekly BookLife

A unique portrait of a time and place populated by fearless people, this reimagination of an uncommon woman is powerful. - Foreword Reviews *****

The Silver Baron's Wife traces the rags-to-riches-to-rags life of Colorado's Baby Doe Tabor (Lizzie). This fascinating heroine worked in the silver mines and had two scandalous marriages, one to a philandering opium addict and one to a Senator and silver baron worth $24 million in the late 19th century. A divorcee shunned by Denver society, Lizzie raised two daughters in a villa where 100 peacocks roamed the lawns, entertained Sarah Bernhardt when the actress performed at Tabor's Opera House, and after her second husband's death, moved to a one-room shack at the Matchless Mine in Leadville. She lived the last 35 years of her life there, writing down thousands of her dreams and noting visitations of spirits on her calendar. Hers is the tale of a fiercely independent woman who bucked all social expectations by working where 19thcentury women didn't work, becoming the key figure in one of the West's most scandalous love triangles, and, after a devastating stock market crash destroyed Tabor's vast fortune, living in eccentric isolation at the Matchless Mine. An earlier version of this novel won the PEN/New England Discovery Award in Fiction.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Prologue
March 1935
Leadville, Colorado

I push open the door to the cabin. I know she’s here, my long-dead Mama, even if I can’t see her. She’s the warmth I feel at the base of my spine, the sense of her hand almost brushing my shoulder. Mama’s spirit always hangs nearby. There, by the bed with its snarl of gray blankets. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. Have society’s expectations of women changed (or not)? How did Lizzie tackle the expectations society placed on her?

2. Do you think Lizzie loved Horace or did she marry him for money?

3. How did Lizzie develop her own spiritual faith after being excommunicated from the Catholic Church?

4. Do you think Lizzie went crazy at the mine or was she, as some theologians have said, a true American mystic?

5. Were you surprised that Lizzie stayed with Horace after he lost his fortune?

6. How did Lizzie’s mother affect her later choices in life?

7. How did you feel reading the last pages of the book?

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