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10 Works 169 Membros 5 Críticas

About the Author

Vicky Oliver is the author of four books on career development, including 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions and the bestselling 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions. She lives in New York City.

Includes the name: Diana Forbes

Obras por Vicky Oliver

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I usually do not like to read historical set stories, but this book by Diana Forbes was simply a very entertaining and enjoyable read. It was also very educational to me about the beginnings of the women suffragists' movement that wanted more than just the vote for women, but also rights for the men who were enslaved to their jobs and also weren't allowed to vote due to the color of their skin. The character of Penelope tells the story about her search for being more than just a stay-at-home wife and baby factory for her husband to own and control financially as well as physically. Yet, she still fell into the ty trap of being a mistress on the side to a married man who lied and was physically violent with her. The author painted such clear and vivid pictures of the people, as well as their filthy physical environment in which they lived. I personally learned much more from the author about the 1893 panic that preceded the Great Depression that followed several years later. The plot line of the story was primarily about women finding and gaining their financial, emotional, and physical independence by being true to their own personal values and beliefs, and it flowed smoothly from beginning to end.… (mais)
 
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TAYLOR235 | 4 outras críticas | Jul 8, 2021 |
Historical fiction / romance is not typically my genre, but I really enjoyed this book. I also learned a lot about the suffrage movement.
This novel begins in 1893 with 17 year old Penelope Stanton bristling against her mother's wishes that she immediately find a suitor which will help their family out of financial ruin. Penelope doesn't want any of the suitors, that is, until she meets the darkly handsome - and married - Edgar Daggers. Recently dropped by Sam Haven, Penelope feels that she is unattractive to men until Mr. Daggers takes an interest in her.
Knowing that it is wrong to pursue a relationship with a married man, and wanting to escape the financial responsibility of bailing out her father who lost money in the Panic, Penelope runs off to Boston with her best friend, Lucinda. Lucinda is very much in support of the Women's Suffrage Movement, and Penelope reluctantly becomes involved. She finds that she is very good at speaking and writing about the cause.
Due to her involvement in the cause, Penelope is introduced to Verdana, and becomes her assistant. Then, she accidentally meets Stone Aldrich, a painter, and eventually Quincy Aldrich, and Amy Adams Buchanan Van Buren, a benefactor of the movement.
All of these people influence and mold Penelope's opinions and life. Penelope becomes stronger and bolder as the novel develops. She comes into her own, and while love eludes her, and often finds her in the worst scenarios, she eventually stands on her own as a strong woman with a man who truly loves her.
This was a very entertaining tale, while offering a historic and often humorous view of the all-important suffrage movement.
#MistressSuffragette #DianaForbes
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
rmarcin | 4 outras críticas | Apr 12, 2020 |
Mistress Suffragette by Diana Forbes
Book starts with A dedication page and acknowledgements.
Story starts out in Newport, RI in 1890s and we had just visited some of the mansions in the city this spring. They definitely life a different life than the regular folk.
Just hearing of the lighted driveway to the ball.. sounds so joyful.
Liked the locations they travel to and learning of how they were able to ride bicycles with the clothes they also had to wear. Voting is another matter they hope to accomplish, for women.
Unforeseen circumstances brings her mother to Boston and the accidents happen... Within a few weeks time they are summoned home to tend to Lydia who's come down with pneumonia.
Verdana and Sam travel with them to convince Newport ladies they need to fight for their rights also.
Love how this book makes history fun while telling you about it.
Penelope first thought she'd have to become a mistress to a married man to make any money to send back home to her parents but she knows better now and fights him off.
She is so smart to look for information about subjects she knows nothing of, to research them and when appropriate she brings them up into conversation that makes the others realize she does know what she's talking about and how women should fight for what they deserve.
Love the new words learned as they travel and all the new locations to me.
Interesting how Louisiana voodoo is included...Like what happens to the fashion industry over the course of the book, very detailed and descriptive.
Bayer heroin aspirin, who knew? Can't wait to read more from this author.
Didn't see the ending coming but happy it came out that way...
Best book for me this month out of a few hundred. Ends with an epilogue and a note from the author about writing of the book, about the author, other works from the publisher summarized and table of contents.
I received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
jbarr5 | 4 outras críticas | Aug 28, 2019 |
Mistress Suffragette by Diana Forbes

Manhattan Novelist Awarded The Garcia Memorial Prize for Best Fiction Book of the Year:

Diana Forbes wins prestigious honor for her debut novel, Mistress Suffragette

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Manhattan novelist Diana Forbes has been awarded The Garcia Memorial Prize for her debut novel, Mistress Suffragette. An annual award presented in conjunction with the national Reader Views Book Awards, The Garcia Memorial Prize is awarded to the best fiction book of the year.

Sex and the Suffrage movement collide in Diana Forbes’s debut novel, Mistress Suffragette. A brilliantly crafted work of historical fiction that unfolds against the backdrop of Manhattan’s Gilded Age, Mistress Suffragette has earned high critical praise. In a Starred review, Kirkus calls Mistress Suffragette “a sprightly, winning historical novel.” San Francisco Review of Books reports “writing of this quality is rare…a very welcome debut.” New Theory Magazine notes: “the plight of the clever main character, Penelope, has a timelessness that every 21st century woman will recognize.”

About Mistress Suffragette: Sheltered but feisty Penelope Stanton, growing up in Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island is tarnished by her father’s bankruptcy during the Panic of 1893.Penelope quickly attracts the unwanted advances of a villainous millionaire banker who preys on distressed women. After she flees him to nearby Boston, Penelope, by necessity, becomes a paid public speaker in the early women’s suffrage movement. Now she’s speaking out on women’s issues from Boston to New York. But will her disastrous choices in love unravel everything she’s fighting for? In the glittering age where a woman’s reputation is her most valuable possession, Penelope will be forced to discover her hidden reserves of courage and tenacity—and she’ll have to decide whether to compromise her principles for love.

A mesmerizing tale that blends elements of history, romance, and women’s fiction, Mistress Suffragette is a beautifully-written novel that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. Meticulously plotted and brimming with multi-dimensional characters that spring to life within the novel’s pages, Mistress Suffragette leads readers on a rich, rewarding journey to a time long past. An extraordinary novel by an extraordinary writer, Mistress Suffragette is a timeless, unforgettable tale.

According to Susan Violante, editor of Reader Views, “We were overwhelmed by both the quantity and quality of entries in this year’s Reader Views Literary Awards. This year’s awards program featured numerous outstanding works of fiction. Mistress Suffragette by Diana Forbes was a true standout. This incredible novel has it all: excellent writing, a mesmerizing storyline, and memorable, realistic characters. Mistress Suffragette is an exemplary work of fiction and it is our honor to recognize this title as recipient of the Garcia Memorial Prize for Fiction.”

Diana Forbes is a 9th generation American, with ancestors on both sides of the Civil War. Diana Forbes lives and writes in Manhattan. When she is not cribbing chapters, Diana Forbes loves to explore the buildings where her 19th century American ancestors lived, loved, survived and thrived. Visit Diana Forbes online at: www.DianaForbesNovels.com
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
JanieReid | 4 outras críticas | Jan 20, 2019 |

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Obras
10
Membros
169
Popularidade
#126,057
Avaliação
4.1
Críticas
5
ISBN
18
Línguas
1

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