The Good Stuff
Thoroughly researched and every aspect of story true to the time period
Moriarty fabulous at setting mood and landscape of the story
Excellent character development for Cora (Don't want to put spoilers in so I will leave it at that)
Background of Cora slowly emerges like little mysteries being solved, which keeps you interested
Really gives you a glimpse into the lives of women during the late 1800's to mid 70's and all that we have overcome
Also you get a real feel for the American Midwest during the 1920's
Nice commentary on change, acceptance and forgiveness
Will make you want to pick up a copy of Lulu in Hollywood (Louise Brooks memoir)
Loved that it focused, not on the famous Louise Brooks, but a simple conventional mid-western women who ends up living a very unconventional life
A lovely book to lose yourself in on a cold winters night - or in my case two extremely bumpy plane rides (helped get me through it by the way -- the power of a good book my friends)
Takes history and makes it personal and something you can connect with
Really got a kick out of some of the dialogue that came out of Viola's mouth & felt extremely lucky to have grown up in the era I did
Learned some fascinating information - floored by how the Ku Klux Klan tried to get women to join in Kansas
The Not So Good Stuff
Story starts very slow, but keep reading it gets going a quarter way through and you become hooked
Last years of the story goes by so very quickly and feels rushed
Hard to read at times due to the plight of women and all they had to fight against in terms of access to birth control and the condemnation of unwed or poor mothers
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Foolish. This bobbing business is just a craze. When its over, everyone who followed the lemmings over the cliff will need years to grow their hair out."
"But Cora felt a girl needed a stronger warning - if only because the world was unfair. There are some inequities that wouldn't change. Maybe they couldn't. In any case, it was simply the way things were."
She glanced over her shoulder before leaning in. "Louise, I'll put it to you plainly. Men don't want candy that's been unwrapped. Maybe for a lark, but not when it comes to marriage. It may still be perfectly clean, but if it's unwrapped, they don't know where its been."
"That's what spending the time with the young can do - its the big payoff for all the pain. The young can exasperate, of course, and frighten, and condescend, and insult, and cut you with their still unrounded edges. But they can also drag you, as you protest and scold and try to pull away, right up to the window of the future, and even push you through."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Definitely for those who have a interest in Louise Brooks
Fans of historical fiction - especially in 1920's America
Not for those looking for non stop action and sex
Good for those interested in a discussion of women's rights and feminism
4 Dewey's
Received this from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
