phyllish
Written on May 12, 2018
Reading Quinn transported me to 1912. I loved the natural way Shanna Hatfield incorporated newspaper articles from that year as part of the story of the feisty newspaper reporter. Apparently, the sinking of the Titanic headlined in the newspapers for weeks after it occurred. I learned so much more about surrounding events, including the initial, erroneous articles that came out.
Also quite fascinating were the details surrounding the Suffragette movement. Though I have seen movies and read books that take place at that time, I had no idea the type of things that went into the efforts. While I knew there was opposition, that really came to life here with details previously unknown to me. The biggest impact of the story in this regard was that I had never before really cared that much. Movies such as The Great Race had, frankly, left me with a bitter attitude towards the women involved, as they seemed obnoxious and unreasonable. I now have a much greater appreciation for the motivations they had and have seen the women in a different light.
There were so many little details that added to the sense of place that I couldn’t even begin to mention them all (nor would I!) Suffice it to say, they were added in a subtle way and in just the right places to be just right. The terminology used was also period appropriate. No modern-day anachronisms jarred me from the turn-of-the-century.
It struck me how amazing it would have been to see the circus for the first time, or a leopard. Having grown up watching old movies and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, I can’t remember the first time I saw these things – they were always just a natural part of my life. So experiencing Walker’s first encounters with these things had me almost regretful that I have become somewhat inoculated to the wonder of them.
This is my very favorite of the Pendleton Petticoats series and may be my favorite of this author’s books as well.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I would like to thank Shanna Hatfield for giving me this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.