Skip to main content

A Woman's Choice By Annie Thomas: A Book Review

A Woman’s Choice
Author: Annie Thomas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: 2013
Pages: 353
Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:  It is 1901. Queen Victoria is dead; a new era has begun. And on a cold April morning a young girl stands uncertainly on Liverpool Docks ready to board an emigrant ship that will take her to America and an unknown future. Michael, Luke, and Meg are amongst her fellow travellers, with the common bond that only determination and self-belief will sustain them in their new lives.

     Set in the vibrancy of early twentieth century New York, the story follows Clara and the people she meets on the way, through tenement living and sweatshop labour to success in musical theatre.

     But she discovers that she needs more than wealth and security to make her happy; when the past returns, she makes another choice which changes her life. Then, as the horror of World War One in Europe threatens to engulf America, Clara learns that personal lives cannot be lived apart from public events, and finds that the people she has loved, and who love her, are not always what they seem. 

     A Woman’s Choice is a compelling saga of friendship, love and ambition.

     My Review: A Woman’s Choice follows a young English immigrant, named Clara Foley, into the U.S. The story tells of the friends she made on the immigrant ship, her ups and downs in America, her dreams and the choices she made. Most of all, it is about Clara trying to find happiness and identity in a world that is hostile to other races. Clara must choose what is right and stick to her conscience, even if she has to forsake those she loves.

     The first thing to describe Clara Foley is that she is beautiful. At twelve, her beauty attracts many men who fall in love with her. It goes on from there. Everywhere she goes, her beauty fascinate and attracts many people that it is easy for her to get what she wants. Even though she is vain, she is hard and persistent. She is courageous and not afraid to stand up to others, including those she loves, for what is right.

     The author brilliantly paints a gorgeous setting of life on the immigrant ship and in New York City before World War I. We get to learn of how women worked in sweatshops, and what the musical theatre was like. But the setting I found to be really interesting was what New York was like in  World War I. She explained the prejudices of German immigrants, who went to America to pursue their dreams. We also learn that some corporations survived World War I by enlisting in a black market. It helped give the reader a good portrait for the problems that America faced during the war.

     Overall, the story is about love, family, friendship, loss, sacrifice, choices, and finding one’s identity. It is about a young woman who is in pursuit of the American dream. The message of the book is to follow your heart and do what you think is right. There are a lot of interesting subplots and secondary characters that are fun and likeable. The story is slow-paced and there is a love triangle that seems forced and tends to drag. I also found the constant mentioning of Clara’s beauty to be somewhat off-putting. Nevertheless, the story is interesting and you care about what happens to Clara and the friends she’s made. I recommend this to anyone interested in city-life in 20th century America, World War I, broadway, and those who face obstacles and hardships but are determined to make their dreams and goals come true.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

Here is the author's official book trailer for A Woman's Choice:

Comments

  1. I like the official clip. I find America in the beginning of the 20th century fascinating . Thanks for great review:)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath

Blog Tour: A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower Author: Patricia Bernstein Publisher: History Through Fiction Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 266 Synopsis: A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the true story of persecuted Catholic noblewoman Winifred Maxwell, who rescued her husband from the Tower of London with the help of a group of devoted women friends in 1716.            A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the life of Winifred Herbert Maxwell (1680-1749), who became the Countess of Nithsdale in 1699. Set amidst the 1715 Rebellion against England’s first German king, George I, the novel depicts the ruthless persecution of Catholics and the relentless determination of protagonist Bethan Glentaggart to save the life of husband Gavin after he is captured and condemned to death. Bethan faces down a mob attack on her home, travels alone from the Scottish Lowlands to London through one of the worst snowstorms in years, and petitions an indifferent king for her husband's mercy. As a l