Posts Tagged '1900s'

The Davenports: More Than This

Published January 7, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , ,

Genre: Historical Fiction

In this continuation of The Davenports, the year is 1910 and everyone is busy trying to find their way in the world. Ruby is newly engaged and happy, despite the fact that she did not choose the man her parents (and she) thought she would marry. Her happiness is somewhat dampened, however, when some vicious rumors start spreading about her. Meanwhile, Olivia is missing her lawyer friend, Washington DeWight, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying to get involved in the community and help support causes like women’s suffrage. She is introduced to a lawyer at her father’s company and she knows they are trying to set her up, but there is something appealing about this lawyer that she cannot help but feel drawn to. Amy Rose is dealt a serious blow when her mentor suddenly dies and her daughter suddenly appears and kicks her out of the house she had been living in for several months. She is still able to open her salon, including a full hair care line, and everyone shows up to support her. Helen and John are desperate to take the family company into the new century by producing cars, but in order to do that they need to prove they are serious. So, they enlist the help of several people (including a famous race car driver) to create and race a car in a local race. Do they have what it takes to make this new leap? Can they all find ways to support their passions and dreams at a time when so many types of people were limited in society?

This sequel is just as compelling as the first and will no doubt please the readers who have been waiting. The characters are all unique and interesting in a way that makes it easy to keep track of what everyone is up to. The historical backdrop is so important to the story too, with race, gender, and socioeconomic issues always playing a part in everything around them. Many parallels can be drawn between what these characters were facing socially in 1910 and what issues still influence society today. Recommended for fans of the American Royals series.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Published December 9, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

**Student Review** by Gabby Bierlein

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

The Jungle is a novel about a Lithuanian family who moves to Chicago to work in the stockyards. It tells about their struggle for survival in this harsh new environment and the hardships that they must endure. Aside from this, The Jungle also gives an accurate description of the meat-packing industry in the early 1900’s and how life was for many new immigrants at that time. The author’s purpose for writing this book was to show the world how terrible an unskilled laborer’s life can be. After reading the book, however, the things that stuck with me the most were the atrocious conditions of the packing plants and how lax health standards were at that time. Thankfully, Upton Sinclair’s novel showed the world that something needed to be changed. Although The Jungle is almost 400 pages long, it does not get boring or old. The author keeps you reading with exciting twists and turns on every page. While some of the events that occur in the book are a little unbelievable, they add to the story and make it more interesting.
Overall, I thought this book was a very good read. Not only was it entertaining and interesting, it also taught me a lot about American history. It opened my eyes to the realization that life in a new country, especially one whose culture and language are unknown to you, can be extremely difficult. I would definitely recommend The Jungle to history fans and anyone who is looking for a good book. Although the book is long, and there are some slow parts, it is well worth the read.

 

Archives

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started