PUBLISHER:
REVELL
PUBLICATION
DATE: MAY 01, 2012
RATING: 10 OUT OF 10 – NEAR PERFECT
PROS:
Unusual setting and time period that really come to life on
the pages; good portrayal of the struggles women faced in society at this time; heroine has aims
other than finding a husband
CONS:
Readers may have to look up some details on the time period
if they aren’t so familiar with it
Lucy Banning was born into a privileged family and has never
had a need gone unmet in her entire life. But while she may live on the
prosperous Prairie Avenue in Chicago, she has a heart for those who are not so
fortunate. Much to her mother and fiancé’s chagrin, she spends the time that
should be spent planning her wedding helping at a local orphanage. Her family
would be even more upset if they knew that she was attending Art History
classes at university, but this is one secret that she’s determined to keep. Lucy
will not allow herself to be restrained into the position that society and her
family demands that she mould to, and she becomes all the more restless as talk
of her upcoming marriage to family friend, Daniel, begins to dominate her life.
She cannot bear the thought of a life spent with Daniel, no matter how much she
cares for him as a friend. But breaking off her engagement and living the life
she wants to lead – helping the needy, furthering the cause of women and
attending university – is not as easy as she thought it would be. Lucy faces
many unexpected challenges as she makes the necessary changes to her life,
including an unlikely friendship with a housemaid and the possibility of a
blossoming relationship with a young architect who is definitely not of her
class. Can she risk all that she has for those that understand the desires of
her heart?
I have a terrible confession to make: I requested this book purely
based on the front cover, and I was determined to read The Pursuit of Lucy Banning even before I knew what the novel was
about. And after having now devoured this novel, it seems rather amusing that
it was Lucy’s gorgeous dress that drew me to the cover, when she spends a lot
of the novel wearing simple clothing as she doesn’t want to stand out at the
orphanage where she works, or in her classes at the university.
By the time I got around to starting this book, I’d actually
forgotten what it was about, and could only remember the pretty cover. So I was
pleasantly surprised to find that this was far more than your standard
historical romance novel. While The
Pursuit of Lucy Banning is set in nineteenth century America – an
incredibly popular time period and setting for Christian historical romances –
it’s set at the very end of the century, amidst the growth of the metropolis
and of industry. The streetcar has been invented, and there is talk of some
crazy contraption called a Ferris Wheel. While I know a fair amount about the
history of Britain in this period, my knowledge of American history at this
time is much more basic, so I did have to look up the Gilded Age and the
World’s Fair, the latter of which is the focal point of this novel. Don’t let
this put you off – a brief glance at Wikipedia was enough to make the details
in this novel fall into place for me. And there are a lot of details; Olivia
has evidently spent a lot of time researching all of the build up to the
World’s Fair. The city of Chicago really comes to life in this novel, and I could
really picture the busyness of the streets full of carriages and streetcars. The Pursuit of Lucy Banning shows that there
is far more to late nineteenth century America than all the novels about
homesteading and prairie life would have you believe. If Little House on the Prairie really isn’t your thing, then perhaps The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is the sort
of novel you should be checking out. I never thought I would be so captivated
by a novel set in a city and surrounded by so much industry and technological
development, but something about Chicago in this period was both exciting and
romantic.
While the title suggests that this book revolves entirely
around Lucy, this isn’t exactly the case. The majority of the novel does focus
on Lucy’s struggles with the role which society and her family expects her to
fulfil, she’s also joined by the wonderful character of Charlotte, a maid in
the Banning household. Having read Julie Klassen’s The Maid of Fairbourne Hall last month, as well as studying a fair amount about Victorian domestic
servants at university, I was thrilled to discover that Olivia had chosen to
explore both sides of the Banning household. The world of service is literally
that; an entirely different world. I loved the interplay between Lucy and Charlotte
as they become confidants. Despite their differences in class, Lucy and
Charlotte were both visual representations of the restrictions placed upon
women in this time period by an intrinsically male-dominated society.
Daniel, Lucy’s fiancé, represented this masculine,
controlling society. While I was initially sceptical about the almost villainous
turns that his character took, I couldn’t help but care for Lucy and fear for
the control that Daniel exerted over her life. It took me a while to understand
that he wasn’t being a brainless menace, as some villains are, but simply taking
advantage of the control that any man had over a woman in this period. This
image was powerful but also understated. I have to say that it was the
development of Daniel’s character that could have really influenced my
impression of this novel. I’m not keen on characters who seem to be overtly
villainous with no redeeming qualities, but Daniel wasn’t like this. His
controlling character developed slowly, and the turn that it took at the end of
the novel really endeared me to this book. Olivia didn’t slip into
stereotyping, and also managed to teach some contemporary lessons about mental
health.
Along with the society commentary about women and mystery
surrounding Daniel, there’s also an element of romance in this novel, although
it isn’t the focal point. Much as Lucy’s aims in life aren’t centred around
falling in love, this novel doesn’t focus primarily on her love life. Despite
this, I did enjoy the way that Lucy’s relationship with Will developed. She
didn’t swoon or spend hours pining over him, but they clearly cared deeply for
each other. Perhaps some romance readers will be disappointed that Lucy isn’t
more enamoured with Will, but I found their relationship to be very realistic. It
was nice to read about such a simple relationship that was complicated by
external events, rather than misunderstandings or confused emotions.
Sometimes I’m fortunate enough to read a wonderful book and
then discover that the author has an entire backlist that I can dip into. With The Pursuit of Lucy Banning this isn’t
the case, and I’m very impressed that this is only her debut novel. Exploring a
time period and setting that is entirely new to me, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning had just the right blend of historical
detail, mystery and romance to keep me gripped. The more I think about his
book, the more I realise that I really can’t find any major flaws with it. I
genuinely didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, and I’m sure that
other readers will be similarly pleased by this original debut novel.
Review title provided by Revell.
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