Dorothy Caldwell Minor, aka The Book Whisperer, finds Michelle Cox’s The Fallen Woman’s Daughter to be well worth a reader’s time, with many topics of conversation for book clubs.
A little about Dorothy:
“I am an avid reader and also enjoy Indie and foreign movies. I retired from teaching English at Tulsa Community College after teaching as an adjunct first and then twenty-four years as a full-time faculty member. I was also involved in faculty development, planning and facilitating workshops for colleagues. I like technology and using technology to enhance learning. As an adjunct, I started a book club on campus, and it is still going strong thirty-one years later! I also belong to two other book clubs.I’ve included a picture from a Chautauqua Tea at TCC, complete with hat and brooch! I enjoy collecting vintage rhinestone brooches.”
Dorothy’s book club, Circle of Readers:
“We meet twice monthly. The first of the month, we all read a book and discuss it; the second time we meet, we discuss other books we’ve read. We enjoy inviting authors to join us! We have 20 members, and we are located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. We enjoy reading fiction, historical fiction, memoir, nonfiction, YA.”
Dorothy’s review of The Fallen Woman’s Daughter:
For those looking for a gripping story of loss and redemption, look no further than The Fallen Woman’s Daughter by Michelle Cox. Nora, 8, and her sister Patsy, 5, are removed from their mother’s care by the state because she is a “fallen woman.” The girls go to Park Ridge School for Girls where their nightmare begins. Nora continues to hope her mother will find her and Patsy and that they can be a family again.
The story is told in two time periods by Nora and Gertie, her mother. It begins with Nora’s story as the girls are taken from Gertie in Chicago. It’s 1932. Gertie’s story begins in 1923 in rural Iowa. Gertie’s family is large and poor.
Gertie desires to see the world and feels constrained by her family. She particularly resents the fact that she is expected to marry and settle like her sister into being a farmer’s wife and produce a brood of children. When her family attends a local, traveling carnival, Gertie is bewitched by the colors, the sounds, and a barker, Lorenzo.
Lorenzo persuades Gertie to marry him, promising her travel across the US and possibly to Europe. Sadly, Gertie soon discovers Lorenzo is a liar; he takes her to a house in town where he expects her to care for his disagreeable mother. Before the wedding, Lorenzo’s cousin Roman, a seer, tells Gertie, “There’s a man in your life. He will promise you things, but you must not listen. You must run away from him before it is too late.” Of course, Gertie dismisses this prediction and listens to Lorenzo’s wild promises.
Readers can expect that soon Gertie will be pregnant and stuck in the little town instead of traveling the world. As he follows the carnival, Lorenzo leaves her with his mother who finds fault with everything Gertie does.
The story is gritty and hard to read at times, but there is forgiveness in the end. The story also takes an unexpected turn when Gertie does locate her daughters after a long period of separation. As Nora learns of her mother’s past, their relationship improves. The Fallen Woman’s Daughter is well worth a reader’s time. Book club members will discover many topics of conversation. As a bonus, book club members can schedule a Zoom meeting with Michelle Cox. The story is compelling.
Author visits with Michelle Cox are available via NovelNetwork.com.
Be sure to visit Dorothy’s website, Parkdalear’s Blog, and watch for her reviews of our NovelNetwork authors featured there, and shared right here at NovelNetwork.com.