The Davenports is a historical fiction novel based around the real-life successes of C.R. Patterson and his family. Set in 1910 in Chicago, this book follows the lives and romances of four young Black women. If you enjoyed shows such as Bridgerton or The Gilded Age, then this book is right up your alley. (Helen, in particular, reminds me a lot of Eloise Bridgerton).
The strongest part of this novel is the characters. The author does a brilliant job of giving us four different, distinct perspectives that tie the whole story together. The romances are quite unique as well –– even though there are four of them in the span of a 350-ish page book, each love story is clearly defined and distinct from the other. Also, they are DEFINITELY swoon-worthy :-)!
The only thing I would have liked to see more of was the history of the period. We got glimpses of the civil rights movement through Olivia's perspective but I would have loved to see more of that. Since this is a series, hopefully, that aspect will be fleshed out more in later books –– the author has done a great job with the setting so far and I can't help but want to know more about it.
The ending is a bit abrupt and in the last twenty pages or so, once you read one of the four perspectives, you can guess how the remaining three will go since it sets the book up for the sequel. However, it still worked to hook me and I'm eager to read more! Looking forward to the next book in this series!
The strongest part of this novel is the characters. The author does a brilliant job of giving us four different, distinct perspectives that tie the whole story together. The romances are quite unique as well –– even though there are four of them in the span of a 350-ish page book, each love story is clearly defined and distinct from the other. Also, they are DEFINITELY swoon-worthy :-)!
The only thing I would have liked to see more of was the history of the period. We got glimpses of the civil rights movement through Olivia's perspective but I would have loved to see more of that. Since this is a series, hopefully, that aspect will be fleshed out more in later books –– the author has done a great job with the setting so far and I can't help but want to know more about it.
The ending is a bit abrupt and in the last twenty pages or so, once you read one of the four perspectives, you can guess how the remaining three will go since it sets the book up for the sequel. However, it still worked to hook me and I'm eager to read more! Looking forward to the next book in this series!