At first glance, this book is a lovely romance. We spend our time learning about four very different young ladies. Olivia is the beautiful older sister in a wealthy family. Helen is the younger sister who can’t compare to Olivia’s beauty or poise, but happily she doesn’t want to as she is fully aware of her own strengths. While Helen has her own hopes and desires, Olivia is just now beginning to discover she’s allowed to have hopes of her own. Ruby is Olivia’s best friend whose family has political ambitions and these ambitions include Ruby. Our last heroine is Amy Rose. She is a servant for Olivia and Helen’s family. Amy Rose is trying to balance between her role as the help and friend while striving towards her own financial dreams. While this plot of four different women navigating to their respective futures is reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice or Little Women, what makes this story unique is that the wealthy families are African American in the early 1900s.
The majority of the story focuses on the trials and tribulations of young love, the book also weaves in racial issues from their past and present. Slavery, harassment, race riots/lynching, voting rights, and general racism are incorporated into the book in a compelling way that manages not to overshadow the fact that these characters are first and foremost young women Trying to live their best lives.
The majority of the story focuses on the trials and tribulations of young love, the book also weaves in racial issues from their past and present. Slavery, harassment, race riots/lynching, voting rights, and general racism are incorporated into the book in a compelling way that manages not to overshadow the fact that these characters are first and foremost young women Trying to live their best lives.