Probably her most critically acclaimed book.

Loved this book! Historical fiction set in and around Minnesota's Fort Snelling in the 1820s. Lively characters, compelling storylines, history worked in without beating the reader over the head, and a satisfying romance. Works for me.

I've been rereading Lovelace's children's books (also 5-star caliber), prior to visiting MN, so I'm delighted and not surprised to discover she can spin a wonderful adult novel as well.

If you liked Mrs. Mike, you'll probably enjoy Early Candlelight!

(Note: if you have uber-sensitive political-correctness antennae, you better deduct a star right off the top.)

It helps to know a little early Minnesota History before tackling this romance/historical fiction, but even this knowledge is not enough to make Early Candlelight enjoyable. Written in the 1920’s about the 1830’s, it is hard to read in 2018 without cringing at the racism and sexism. Granted, Lovelace draws on first person sources and describes real historical figures, but it doesn’t feel realistic an any meaningful way. Time would be better spent reading the author’s Betsy-Tacy series.

This one made me miss Minnesota. A very different feel from her Betsy-Tacy books, but Maud Hart Lovelace gives a great picture of life near Fort Snelling in the 1830s. Her description of the landscape and way of life is wonderful and, as always, I enjoy her gentle story telling based on historical events.

I read this 4 or 5 years ago, and I'm now re-reading it for the Group Read on Maud-L.

I didn't find the author of the Betsy-Tacy books here except for occasional glimpses in descriptive passages. The writing was choppy and difficult to read, as if she was trying to hard to impress the reader with her skill as a writer. I struggled to follow her and if it was any other author but MHL I would not have bothered to finish the book. The character names were atrocious and I grudgingly accept it's because they are real names, but it made it awkward. Names like those take more than a few days to become natural sounding. 2+ stars.


When I finished I was glad I read it. It had a satisfactory, if not predictable ending but unfortunately by then I didn't like the hero!

This is one where I really wish we could do half stars, as I'd have preferred to give it 3.5. Once I got about 25 pages into the book, it really took off for me, and I was very much drawn in. It especially grabbed me as we headed to the end of Book I and into Book II. But then... then came the ending, and I found it just anticlimactic. SPOILER ALERT!! I think I read in someone else's review [Melissa's, perhaps?:] that we didn't NEED to see how the relationship betw Jasper Page and Dee actually came to that moment where they knew they would be together, or else that we didn't need to see the actual wedding. Well, for me, I'm afraid I did need to see it. At least a LITTLE of it anyway. For me, it was a let-down, not getting that reward at the end. Well-written in most spots... moments of Betsy-Tacy turn-of-phrases occasionally, to make me smile... ultimately not quite up to her Betsy-Tacy standard, though.

This is a completely different story from Lovelace's usual offerings. It's historical fiction set at Old Fort Snelling in Minnesota in the 1830s. Originally written in 1929, the feel is different from modern day hist. fict. - a bit more romantic and innocent perhaps. But it is a vivid and compelling portrayal of life on the river - French fur traders, Native Americans, danger and uncertainty in a beautiful, wild, land. I recommend it to anyone interested in this time period in the United States.

This book was…disappointing. I read it because I’ve heard rave reviews of this author’s other books (Betsy-Tacy series). Having not read those books yet, I can’t speak to the difference between this book and her others, however, the meandering story, perfect protagonist, and lackluster hero left me frustrated to no end. I don’t have enough knowledge to reflect on the authenticity of the book’s description of the history of the time (Indian-US relations in the west near Ft. Snelling), however, I certainly know that were I to be treated by my husband-to-be the way she was, I would have serious reservations. I guess what I mean is that if this is supposed to be a sweet, romantic book, it leaves a lot to be desired and takes far too long to reach a conclusion.

While the attitude towards Native Americans demonstrated in this book is a bit disconcerting for the modern reader, Lovelace did her research well. She co-wrote this with her husband, but much of the research behind it was her work. It is "just" an historical romance, but worth the read for those interested in the region and the period.

It reminds me of Zane Grey's Betty Zane quite a lot...however fictionalized either book is, if the same things were basically happening in the Minnesota frontier in the 1830s that was happening in the Ohio frontier in the 1790s, interesting.

I was so surprised how much I loved this book. Maud was a terrific author. You will get lost in it.