The Last Woman by John Willingham

 

Fell in love with the beautiful cover - stuck around for the fantastic dual-time historical fiction/Western! This is my first time reading a book by author John Willingham and I hope it won’t be the last.

The Last Woman is based on the life of Frenchy McCormac. The story begins around the time of WWII, Frenchy is an old woman living in a ghost town and looking back on her life. She records her memories in a notebook starting in 1877 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when she, Catherine McCain, was enrolled in a girl’s Catholic school. After a violent encounter with a priest, she and a friend flee the state on a riverboat headed north. Along the way, she learns to play faro and acquires the nickname, Frenchy. After a brief stint as a teacher in Arkansas, which also ends violently, she continues her journey with stints in St. Louis, Dodge City and finally Tascosa, Texas, the wildest Cowtown in the west. On her trail is the Reverend Campbell Harper who is hellbent on bringing her to justice, his own personal justice.

During her travels, Frenchy befriends other women whose lives have set them adrift. And of course, she meets a rough and rowdy Irishman, Mick McCormac, who runs saloons and gambling dens, who woos her and together they set up business in Tascosa, where she spends the rest of her life, for many years, as the only resident of the town.

Willingham does an excellent job of bringing these places to life, the sight, sounds and taste of the west. He fleshes the story with a great cast of characters. I really enjoyed learning about riverboat life along the Mississippi, and the dying days of the ‘Wild West.’ Frenchy was a great character; smart, intrepid, kind, caring and a great friend. Her life was not easy, and she suffered abuse and violence as many women did at that time.

I highly recommend The Last Woman to readers who love historical fiction, a taste of the old West, and great stories in general.

I give this book 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐