Ramona

This 1884 romance novel is about a half-Indian, half-Scottish girl named Ramona and a full-blood Indian named Alessandro. Set in southern California during the influx of American settlers in the late 19th century, it deals with the abuses suffered by the Native Americans.

Though the book was intended by the author, Helen Hunt Jackson, to create sympathy for the Indians, most readers focused on the romantic aspects of the story, triggering a massive influx of tourists into southern California in search of the "real" Ramona.

Not to be confused with the Ramona Quimby series, better known as Ramona.


 * Butt Monkey: Native Americans in general, and Alessandro in particular.
 * Driven to Madness:
 * Noble Savage: Alessandro is more noble, more faithful and more honest than pretty much any white person around him.
 * Not Blood Siblings:
 * Rose-Tinted Narrative: The novel romanticizes the California mission era.
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Ramona and Alessandro.
 * Too Good for This Sinful Earth:
 * Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Tourists flocked to southern California looking for the "real" Ramonaâ€”but the novel was a work of fiction.