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    Under a Painted Sky
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    Under a Painted Sky
    Unavailable
    Under a Painted Sky
    Audiobook10 hours

    Under a Painted Sky

    Written by Stacey Lee

    Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician-not an easy thing if you're a girl, and harder still if you're Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life.


    With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush.


    Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls figure out they can't hide for long...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 30, 2015
    ISBN9781494584320
    Unavailable
    Under a Painted Sky

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    Reviews for Under a Painted Sky

    4/5

    125 ratings16 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Liked the book, but did not care for the reader.
    • 4/5
      I’m not usually a huge fan of historical fiction, but this story was amazing. Samantha always loved playing her violin, but when a tragedy leaves her with nothing but the instrument, she doesn't know what to do. She is a fifteen-year-old Chinese girl in 1849, so she has very few options. After meeting a slave girl who is determined to go west in search of freedom, Samantha decides to go, too. The two girls set out on the Oregon Trail as Sammy and Andy, two boys looking for gold. But even disguised as boys, there is a lot they don't know about surviving life on the Oregon Trail, especially with the law hot on their heels.
    • 4/5
      Stacey Lee does a nice job immersing you in her story - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this during the moments I held the book (4 star experience). However, when I wasn't reading, I didn't feel compelled to pick it up (therefore, a 3.5). I don't know exactly why .... need to think on that some more.
    • 3/5
      A diverse historical fiction book with adventure, romance, and humor. Its also a bit graphic at times and deals with some pretty heavy topics. Overall I enjoyed it, although I think it could have been a bit more cohesive. Complex characters and the emotional and physical journey the protagonist takes make this a good read.
    • 3/5
      Good read, rushed ending.
    • 2/5
      This was mediocre, if not outright painful at times. It started with Annamae's character getting dangerously close to the "magical negro" trope; next, very little adventure actually occurred before the whole "hot cowboys" thing started; then the geographical and character inconsistencies and unnecessary repetition followed; and then I began to see my friend's assessment that Annamae is treated more like a sidekick. Then I felt like the story was more of a vehicle for teaching Chinese culture. Then black characters were being compared to animals while the non-black ones doing the same things weren't. Then I wondered if there's ever going to be a story of a girl dressing up as a boy and meeting a boy who gets all into her thinking she's a boy and then being rather disappointed when it turns out she isn't. And then back to the story and ultimately it was predictable. I remember noting a couple instances where the book actually did a few things right, but I forget what they are at present. I wasn't a fan of the reader for the audio, which may have influenced my opinion.

      All in all, I went into this book expecting so much action and adventure with two girls being badass and doing it for themselves, but it was just another love story with a flimsy premise. I would have bailed if it wasn't the focus of my upcoming book club.

      ********
      Read Harder: Debut novel
    • 4/5
      Girls dressed as boys on the run from the law.

      Lots of luck, action, and adventure.



    • 4/5
      This book had a strong focus on friendship. It portrayed bravery, loyalty, and strength. It showed that you can't judge a person by the gender, race, or beliefs... and it showed that with friends, anything is possible...

      The story is about two girls acting like boys to hide their criminal faces. They find a group of young men and decide to tag along. The men teach them how to be cowboys, save them from danger, and in the end fall in love with them. There are twists and turns throughout the book and suspense in every chapter. It's a wild western meets contemporary ya. It's a fierce read with passion and secrets laced around each word. It's slow paced, but never a bore. I highly recommend it to all historical/Oregon trail fans!
    • 5/5
      This book was incredibly well written, especially for a Young Adult novel! I wasn't certain that I would enjoy a journey on the Oregon Trail, but I did. I loved seeing Samantha grow from a timid little girl into a strong, independent woman. I loved that we get the opportunity to see a different experience from the one we heard most about in school. It wasn't the homogeneous pioneer story that you see in many American textbooks. It was a fantastic adventure and to be honest I hope that someday there will be a followup to this story. I want to see what happens next!!
    • 4/5
      This was such a fun story. Samantha a Chinese-American girl and Annamae an African-American runaway slave are both trying to escape the unjust law. Knowing that no one would come to their defense they make their way out to the wild west and pretend to be a pair of boys named Sammy and Andy. When they come across three cowboys West, Cay, and Peety they stay with them in hopes that Samantha will be able to find the her late father's business partner and Annamae find her brother. I loved the adventure. There were times that Sammy and Andy did some things that just cracked me up. Just imagining them pretending to be boys and getting into some situations that surprised me no one questioned their manhood were too funny. but then it turned out that the boys knew the whole time? I kinda guessed but it was still weird. Like West was obviously in love with Sammy but then went out and had sex with the first girl he could find *awkward* Why would he blush and feel strange about his feelings for Sammy if he knew she was a girl? If he had just said it was because of her age...I still don't get it I can't decide who was my favorite character Annamae or Cay. While Sammy held her own I have a thing for feisty or charismatic characters. In real life I promise I would totally hate a guy like Cay but he just charmed his way around me. Peety my sweet Mexican cowboy was pretty great too but he only had a teensy bit more personality than West...and that isn't saying much.The romance was kind of meh. I didn't feel anything for West and he was kind of boring. I really liked Sammy but I didn't like West. Andy and Peety were my lowkey highkey I'm-kinda-rooting-for-them type of thing but by the end it wasn't even the kind of slow burn that I really enjoy. But romance was the last thing on my mind when I dove right into this book so I don't even mind.
    • 4/5
      Over the past year I have made a foray into YA Westerns and I have yet to be disappointed. Under a Painted Sky is a diverse, cultural infused tale of two girls, Our main character, Sam a Chinese, newly orphaned girl, teams up with Annamae (Andy), an African-America, runaway slave. Together they flee St. Joe, Missouri disguised as boys and begin on the Oregon Trail. They soon join three cowboys who help keep them safe and teach them how to survive.I think what I loved most about this book is how Lee was able to incorporate Sam's Chinese heritage and beliefs along with Andy's and intertwine all it beautifully into this richly told story. Sam's and Andy's friendship was also a highlight of the book. It caused for some great moments, some funny, many heartfelt, and I was glad to see such a positive example of female friendship in a YA novel.Although "girl disguised as boy" seem to be a common theme in YA westerns I did not mind it here and thought Sam's inner thoughts about the challenges of pretending to be a boy were hilarious. I think Lee struck the perfect balance between an adventure story, a coming of age tale, and portrait of what life could be like for minorities and females in the 1800s
    • 4/5
      This heartwarming story expresses the Chinese principle of yuanfen, which refers to the fate that brings people together to become a family.The story begins in 1849 in Missouri, where 15-year-old Samantha, a Chinese-American, is having the usual teenage conflicts with her father (whom she loves dearly, but she is, after all, a teenager). While out giving violin lessons, her father is burned out of his store, and dies in the conflagration. “Sammy,” as she is known, is bereft and has nowhere to go. Her landlord refers her to “his best hotel” which turns out to be a house of prostitution. He furthermore is determined to “sample the goods” before putting her to work. Sammy, appalled, pushes him away and he falls, hits his head, and dies. Sammy must now go on the run from the law, and she is helped by the 16-year-old black slave, Annamae, who had been assigned to attend to Sammy, and who sees this as an opportunity to escape along with Sammy. They determine that they will get farther disguised as boys, and soon are heading out on the Oregon Trail to the West, disguised as “Sammy” and “Andy.” Andy is hoping to find her brother Isaac, and Sammy is looking for a friend of her father’s, someone she hopes will help her get started on a new life in California.The fugitives run into a group of three cowboys also seeking their fortune: Cayenne (“Cay”) Pepper, his cousin West, and their friend Pedro, known as Peety. Because the West is, well, wild, the five of them make a pact of mutual assistance and cast their lots together on the trail. The girls struggle to maintain their identity as boys while the actual males help them learn the “ropes” of being cowboys. Andy contributes by virtue of her excellent skills as a cook and storyteller, and Sammy with hers as a musician and healer. Everyone’s talents are needed on the path west, as they run into a number of bad actors, health hazards, bounty hunters, and law officers on the road.Eventually, romantic tensions develop in spite of the girl’s disguises, which discomfits the group, especially West, who is clearly drawn to Sammy. Sammy and Andy also work to overcome the conflict between their individual quests that will take them in opposite directions, and their strong sense of each other as sisters. In fact, all five of them come to feel like a family, the members of whom will defend each other to the death. That devotion comes into play more often than any of them would want; it’s a hard world out there, and never clear that all five will survive.Discussion: There are several notably good aspects to this coming-of-age story, foremost among them the close friendship between Andy and Sammy. Both are wonderful characters: strong, resourceful, brave, and spunky, but also charming rather than abrasive, as many young adult female heroines are. Andy has “street-smarts” as well as a great sense of humor, and explains “how life is” to Sammy through a combination of drollery, allegories, and Christian spirituality. Sammy has been brought up to understand the world through Chinese philosophical and astrological precepts, which she also imparts to the group. Andy and Sammy become devoted to each other, and neither can imagine life without her “sister.”Their story illustrates not only the prejudices against, and dangers to, females of the time, but also the racism and xenophobia that ran rampant at the time [note I am pretending here it doesn’t obtain anymore]. It also shows the variety of ways in which persons encountered on the trail, including the three vaqueros with whom they travel, reacted to their differences, a representation of how it might have been "in real life."This author accomplishes what so many others have failed at: namely, incorporating a diverse cast of characters into a story without having it seem in the least bit contrived to conform to an intention to be “diverse.”Evaluation: In spite of the heavy subjects touched upon, the book has so much humor and heart that it feels like an uplifting and “happy” read.
    • 3/5
      I have to say, I loved these kids but the story just moved entirely too slow for me. I liked the story just fine but I was bored, a lot.
    • 4/5
      Samantha, a Chinese girl who loves to play music, and Annamae, an escaped slave, head west to find family and fortune. However, they need to pretend to be men to do it. So, Sam and Andy team up with other travelers to get to their promised land.
    • 3/5
      Sammy and Annamae hit the road, after an accidental bludgeoning of a rapist leads to his death. In 1849, the only way to go is West. California, the gold fields and freedom all beckon to these young women, just as they do to hundreds of other settlers and gold miners. The girls, aware they are being sought after, immediately re-invent themselves as boys, Sammy and Andy. They meet up with three cowboys, unable to return to Texas and head West with some help from their new friends. There's a lot of action along the way, as they hit the markers you learn about in history. I especially liked Sammy's references to the Chinese Zodiac and the animals that represented the various characters and their actions.
    • 4/5
      A too neat ending does not take away from this road travel adventure as a Chinese American violinist and an African American runaway slave bond as they try to escape danger and make a better life for themselves by disguising themselves as boys and travel West on the Oregon Trail.