Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the family empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But following their dreams — from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers — will take all their courage. And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?
Baroness by Susan May Warren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I will admit that when I began this book, I did not really think I would like it. It was historical fiction, but the 1920’s did not really interest me. At least, the characters in this book did not interest me. Why would I want to read about flappers in Paris who seemed to care so little for God that they got themselves into all sorts of trouble?
I was wrong. About one-third of the way into the book, I had a change of heart. I was interested in Rosie and Lilly, and it was neat to see the stories go back and forth between these two young women. They both did things that amazed me, and they had big-time hardships. And it was clear that this was a time period about which I needed to learn a lot more.
Susan May Warren has written a different type of Christian fiction than I have ever read before. I would call her writing style very realistic and full of raw emotion at times. I was pleased to not have the “happily ever after” ending that so many Christian romances seem to suggest in their stories. Bad things did happen. And not all the main characters even came to trust in God.
The position of God was truly unique in the concept of this book. Even in stories where the Christian message is woven into the fabric of the story, God plays a significant, front-and-center role. God essentially takes a “back seat” in this story, but His influence permeates the stories of Lilly and Rosie.
I was quite pleased when I realized how much research the author must have conducted to write about airplanes and newspapers in such great detail. She truly has a grasp of the time period, and her characters are three-dimensional. In fact, I would say they sometimes jump off the page!
My only concern is that Susan May Warren will not write a sequel. I feel like I must know what happens to the characters. The story ended with my wanting more–much more. I have grown to love the characters, and I will await anything further from the author!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
About the Author:
Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling, Christy and RITA award-winning novelist of over sixty-five novels. An eight-time Christy award finalist, a three-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.
A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: The Story Equation.
She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, and Novel.Academy, a school for aspiring novelists.
