Nancy H. Marshall

Rosie's Gold Nancy H. Marshall

The novel opens in the middle of an African drumming and dancing event in Flagstaff, and we meet Rosie.  She is a college age woman struggling with emotional and relationship issues stemming from childhood sexual abuse.  She has a close relationship with her older brother Danny, and their parents who live in Scottsdale.  When Rosie's parents are killed in an auto accident, she begins the voyage of self-reliance and discovery as the emotions of trauma past and present collide. 
 Rosie's parents left a parcel of land in the Bradshaw Mountains, with a cabin and a creek running through it.  The land has a long history of gold mining and ranching.  Rosie determines she will make a sustainable farm on this land, forging a new life and purpose for herself with the help of friends from Prescott.  She makes a difficult journey through the many challenges she must handle to survive on the farm- as a rancher and as a young woman facing adulthood.
 The themes of trauma and recovery and discovery are woven through this tale, as Rosie, her brother, and their friends face the realities of survival in the wake of tremendous loss, and in the face of great difficulties. 
 Themes: sexual abuse and recovery, personal discovery, self reliance, sustainable living, PTSD, young adult relationships, sexuality after abuse, native American healing, alcoholism