Review
PUBLICATION DATE: JULY 1, 2011
t’s the time of the industrial revolution, before child labor laws restricted the work days of ten-year-olds and when the gap between the classes was opulence to abject poverty with very little variation between.
Esme is the eldest daughter of August Price, founder and publisher of the New York Chronicle (think NYT). The responsibility to make a place for the family among the members of high society by marrying well falls on her shoulders. However she has her heart set on becoming a journalist. She has a passion for the poor and feels called to be a voice for those whom society refuses to hear.
Her sister Jinx thinks she’s crazy to want anything other her own household to run and the status of the elite. In one night the lives of the sisters are set on course when Esme runs away to the West and Jinx marries the man she believes she will fulfill her dreams of grandeur.
Like lots of chick-lit, Heiress is drama packed, but in a good way. The internal struggle of the characters carries the story just as much as the action of the drama which keeps the plot from becoming shallow. The tension for women in choosing between career and family, the source of a woman’s worth, and how her innermost desire to be loved above all else are themes that rise and fall with the tide of story. These are the same things that women struggle with today, giving the book a cultural relevance that extends beyond its historical setting.
Warren is a really good story teller and she does her research. I admire writers who can draw a reader into the story to the extent that the small details become important. For example, before reading Heiress I had no idea that a hair rat is an accessory that women in the 19th century wore to make their hair appear thicker and more full. But looking up this detail brought to the surface Jinx’s insecurity about her beauty when she compares herself to her sister.
If your imagination likes to dive into the past, grabbing Heiress is a good move. You won’t be disappointed.
–Courtenay Roberts
