Monday, January 21, 2013

The Dilemma of Charlene Farrow - Olivia Newport's Wonderful Series of 19th Century Chicago Continues

I loved Olivia Newport's The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, which begins around the time of the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition, so much, that I grabbed the chance to review the next book in Newport's Avenue of Dreams Series, The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow.

Charlotte Farrow was a prominent member of the "supporting cast" in the Lucy Banning book, and I couldn't wait to see what faced this young maid who struggled to keep her job and also provide for her young son, which, except for Lucy, none of the Bannings knew existed .

With Lucy on her honeymoon and unavailable to help, Charlotte is left to fight for her child when the woman who has been caring for him unexpectedly returns the baby to her. The contrast between the classes is vividly shown through the strong determination of this single mother and the backdrop of the upper-class world of the wealthy. Adding "color" is the  Columbian Exposition, which was the city of Chicago's announcement to the world that this major city was fully back and restored after the devastation of the Great Chicago fire that left the city in ruins twenty years earlier.

I loved the characters in the story, the wonderful details that make the setting come to life, and the message of hope found in the pages of this book. I cannot wait for the third and final book in this series!

Revell Publishing provided me with a complementary copy of this novel for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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