While distraught at the lies told to her surrounding her mother’s death, their discovery gives twenty year old, Violet Hayes the impetus to defy her father and travel to Chicago and visit with her grandmother and three great aunts.
Violet soon discovers that each of the elderly sisters have a plan for her future ~ Agnes intends to match her with one of the wealthy offspring of her socialite friends, Matilda wishes to open her eyes to women’s rights and claim her independence, her grandmother prays she will humbly assume a life of religious servitude and the loving but senile Birdie wants her to marry for love.
Violet’s naivety and overactive imagination soon entangle her in all manner of humourous and socially awkward situations as she scrambles to apply the etiquette drummed in to her at Madame Beauchamps School for Young Ladies. Suddenly a number of gentlemen are seeking her hand but Violet is concerned about their motives and carefully considers their merits and attributes. Simultaneously Violet hopes to discover the truth about her mother and commences her own investigation, aided by her clandestine yet voracious reading of dime novels and pulp fiction magazines, including True Crime Stories, The Illustrated Police News and True Romance Stories.
A Proper Pursuit is an entertaining diversion from Lynn Austin’s usual intense writing style. Set against the backdrop of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 it is a fascinating insight into the era, particularly with reference to women, their status, constraints and desires. Violet delightfully depicts the frustrations of an independent young woman of that time, bound by social obligations yet yearning for more in her relationships and aspirations for her future. Lynn Austin uses Violet’s grandmother and each of the aunts to display the options available to women and likewise, with each of Violet’s suitors, men of the era are depicted. While it was clear early on which path Violet would choose, the mystery surrounding her mother adds intrigue and further depth to the story. Details relating to the Fair and exhibits were obviously well researched and provide substance to a lively and engaging tale.
Now available from Bethany
As seen at TitleTrakk.com
To enter to win a copy of A Proper Pursuit, you must meet the following requirements:~
1 Have an Australian mailing address;
2 Post before midnight Sunday 27th January; and
3 Tell me your best read of 2007!
Looking forward to hearing from you 🙂
January 21, 2008 at 7:37 am
My best read of 2007 would have to be “Let Them Eat Cake”. I absolutely loved/adored/delighted over this book, and I’m so glad that I own it!Please enter me.itsmyemail (at) bigpond.com
January 22, 2008 at 1:41 am
This sounds like a great combination of fun & mystery with a bit of a history lesson in social etiquette thrown in as well. Please put me in the draw too 🙂My best read. Wow….that’s a toughie! So many books and you want us to choose just one?!OK….among many many others, one of my favourites this last year was ‘Miss Match’ and then ‘Re-Match’ both by Erin Mangum. I just laughed my way through both of them…even at 3am! They’re not good for curing insomnia, but they were so entertaining.I’m sure there were more significant novels that I read and thoroughly enjoyed, but since Rel doesn’t provide me with a list of what I’ve read I can’t recall any right now LOL. Course, nothing compares to ‘When Crickets Cry’, but that was an ’06 book wasn’t it!
January 22, 2008 at 2:55 am
this is a very hard question i read alot of good books.one that sticks in mind is White chocolate moments by lori wickbut i think number 3 in the homeland series by Donna Fleisher, each one has gotten better (number 4 is on the to be read shortly list)Please enter me.
January 22, 2008 at 8:38 pm
There were so many good reads last year and hard to narrow it down it one.I loved theSecrets,Unforgotten and Echoes series by kristen Heitzmann.Plus Donna Fleishers series as well! Please can you put my name in for this one too.Thanks.
January 22, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Well I got this book at Christmas and absolutely loved it. Great great book. I don’t think I could pick just one great read for 2007 either. I loved lots of books for lots of reasons. Ted Dekker. Lyn Austin. Francine Rivers. Plus lots of new authors. Whoever wins this book will really enjoy it. I did.
January 24, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Best read would be Sharon Hinck’s The Sword of Lyric series. But close behind that would be Jane Orcutt’s All The Tea In China.
January 27, 2008 at 12:08 pm
1. Australian mailing address – yes!2. Just made it before midnight 27th yes!3. Best read 2007 – As I have loved you – God spoke to me through this book in an amazing way – life changing book!