July Book Reading

One of the pretty good authors I have gotten hooked on recently was Lynn Austin.  She writes some good womens' interest novels that do have a bit of a religious swing to them.  I think the reason I like them is that they are what one could consider "wholesome" but the religious aspect of them is very understated.  The characters are typically very Christian, but its not like the author is trying to preach Christianity through her novels.

Anyway, the most recent one I read is called "A Proper Pursuit".  Here's the description from Amazon:

The great strength of this novel comes from the first-person narrator's charming voice: 20-year-old Violet Hayes is distressed to learn that her father is remarrying-and that her mother, whom Violet believed lay recovering from a mysterious illness in a sanitarium somewhere, had in fact simply abandoned her family and filed for divorce. To escape a stepmother-to-be she can't stand, Violet heads to Chicago to stay with her grandmother and great-aunts. Although she's recently graduated from a genteel school for young ladies, it's in Chicago that Violet's real education begins. One great-aunt tries to persuade her to join the suffrage movement, while another introduces Violet to elite society and urges her to catch a wealthy husband. Her grandmother, who takes her cues from Jane Addams, introduces Violet to the world of revivalist Christianity and inner-city good works, prompting Violet to re-examine her own faith. Two questions drive the plot: will Violet find her mother, and will she encounter true love? Readers will enjoy accompanying Violet as she discovers the answers, her calling and her adult self.


The book truly has a good story in it and its a quick summer read.  As with most of Lynn Austin's books, the main character interacts with several other supporting characters that have totally different views of how the world should be.  Its really interesting to see the conflicts that Violet goes through when trying to make all of her relatives happy. 
 
In the end it really comes down to the fact that you have to choose how YOU want to live your life to make you feel happy and that you're doing the right thing.  While you can listen to the advice of those around you, its not necessarily in your best interest to model yourself after any one person.  You have to do what will make you feel good and right about your own life.