The Avalanche

First published in 1919, ‘The Avalanche’ by Gertrude Atherton is set in San Francisco following a devastating earthquake. Young Price Ruyler is struggling to keep the California branch of the family business running when he encounters a beautiful young French woman, Helene Perrin. The pair fall hopelessly in love and are swiftly married, but all is not as it seems, and Price begins to have suspicions about his new wife. Does he truly know the woman that he married? A novel full of suspense, mystery, and intrigue.

Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948) was an American novelist, short story writer and early feminist. Born in California, Gertrude attended schools in California and Kentucky and became widely read. She married George H.B. Atherton in 1876, and lived with him and his mother in San Francisco, where they had two children. Atherton struggled with married life, her husband did not support her writing ambitions and Gertrude found life as a wife and mother stifling. When her husband died at sea in 1887, Atherton felt free to pursue her burgeoning career as an author and went on to publish over 50 novels. She is best known for her California series of novels which explored the social history of California and included popular works such as ‘The Californians’ and the controversial ‘Black Oxen’ which was adapted into a silent movie in 1923. Feminist themes and strong female characters are common in her novels. She died in San Francisco in 1948.