Gypsy

When tragedy takes away Beth Bolton's parents, she and her brother Sam set off for a new life in America, leaving their baby sister in the arms of an adoptive family. Aboard the steamer to New York, Beth and Sam cross paths with charismatic gambler, Theo, and sharp-witted Londoner, Jack, and the four forge an invaluable friendship. Beth has always dreamed of playing her fiddle to large audiences and when Sam finds a job in a bar, she entertains the crowds, who nickname her Gypsy. But the foursome fall foul of gangsters and are forced to flee to New York. And when they are again hunted out of Philadelphia, the only option is to head for Canada. As they trek across the country, word escapes that gold has been found in the Klondike. They embark on a dangerous journey, navigating snowy mountains and treacherous rapids to reach Dawson City. Who will break first? Theo, the handsome yet greedy bounder with claims on Beth's heart? Dreamy Sam, so easily influenced by others? Practical Jack, a man devoted to his friends? Or Beth, the woman with the gypsy in her soul, who cares more for music than gold?

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction, Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.