Inkweaver Review

“Riding Freedom” by Pat Muñoz Ryan is an interesting historical novel based on the true story of Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, also known as One-eyed Charley, and Six-horse Charley.

Charlotte was born in 1812 and grew up at an orphanage. At some point she ran away from the orphanage, and started posing as a male so that she could enjoy many freedoms that were at that time not granted to women. “Riding Freedom” follows Charlotte’s experiences from the orphanage onward through her unique life. As an expert stagecoach driver and the first woman to vote, Charlotte’s life story makes an interesting and historical yarn.

Overall “Riding Freedom” is a admirable book, both for its historical aspect and its interesting real-life characters. The pace of the plot is slightly disappointing, for the story skips through large periods of Charlotte’s life so as to focus on the short scenes that are known and most important. Despite this, however, “Riding Freedom” makes for a read that is both decent and educational.

Inkweaver Book Rating:

Plot

Characters

History

Overall