The Invention of Sarah Cummings Book Review

Avenue of Dreams Series

Book Three

SUMMARY:  In a world where everyone is putting on a show, there is a love that is genuine.

     Sarah Cummings has one goal in life - to break into Chicago's high society.  Desperate to stop serving dinner to members of the wealthy Banning family and to start eating at society tables, Sarah spends her meager free time altering cast-off gowns to create the perfect wardrobe for her future life.

     When opportunity knocks at a chance meeting, she presents herself as Serena Cuthbert, weaving a fictitious past to go with her fictitious name.  But as she gets closer to her goal - and closer to Simon Tewell, director of St. Andrew's Orphanage - Sarah finds that she must choose between the life she has and the life she dreams of.

     Can she piece together the perfect life from scraps?  Or will it all come unraveled in the face of true love?

REVIEW:   Sarah Cummings is tired of being a maid and wants something better in life.  She is an excellent seamstress and reworks the dresses given to her by Mrs. Banning, making them into completely different gowns.  She also wants to forget her time at the local orphanage, where she spent time after her parents were tragically killed, but she is asked to show the girls there some basics of sewing in hopes of expanding their futures.
     This book was good but I had a few problems with it.  The main problem was Sarah's faith, or lack thereof.  Throughout the second book (where she is a minor but important character) and in parts of this book, Sarah is resentful that she is forced to work as a maid instead of living in the middle class she was born and raised into.  She is resistant to God and recognizing His hand in her life and only goes to church when she needs to, not when she wants to.  Her lack of faith in God aids in her deception as Serena Cuthbert in that she may have some qualms in what she is doing but it does not stop her from continuing the charade.  At the end of the book, when Sarah's secret is found out by those who care about her, she does seem repentant but I still didn't see an obvious turn to faith in God.
     The other problem I had was all the lying and deceiving going on.  Since it was a major part of the story, I understand why it took place, but it still bothered me.  I guess I get too much into my characters and don't want to see them get hurt if they continue on the path they are taking.
     Overall, this is a good book and ties up the series in a nice way.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Olivia Newport is the author of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning and The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow.  Her husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books.  She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.  Find out more at www.OliviaNewport.com. 

The Dilema of Charlotte Farrow Book Review

Avenue of Dreams Series

Book 2

SUMMARY:  The whole world is coming to Chicago.  Charlotte's whole world is coming down around her.

     While the rest of Chicago focuses on the enormous spectacle of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Charlotte Farrow's attentions are entirely on one small boy - her boy - whom she had kept a secret from her wealthy employers for nearly a year.

     When the woman who has been caring for her son abruptly returns him to the opulent Banning home, Charlotte must decide whether to come clean and face dismissal or keep her secret while the Bannings decide the child's fate.  Can she face the truth of her past and open her heart to a future of her own?  Or will life's struggles determine her path?

     The compelling story of courage, strength, and tender romance captures the tension between the glittering wealthy class and the hardworking servants who made their lives comfortable.

REVIEW:  This is the second book of the Avenue of Dreams series.  While you don't have to read the first one, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, to follow the storyline, it is very helpful to completely understand the previous year of Charlotte's life, how she came to make the decisions she did and how Lucy Banning Edwards figures into the storyline. 

     That said, this was a really good book.  Olivia Newport did an excellent job helping her readers to understand just how hard life was for the working class in the late 1800s.  My mother's heart went out to Charlotte as she had to make very difficult decisions regarding sacrificing her needs and wants for her son while acting as if she had no connection with him at all.  The pain she felt as she heard him call another woman "Mama" and seeing some decisions made about her son's life while not being able to speak up due to the underlying threat of dismissal from her job if she did made my heart cry. 

      Check this book out (and this series) for some wonderful storytelling.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

 

 Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

 

Olivia Newport is the author of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning.  Her husband and two adult children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books.  She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning Book Review

SUMMARY:  She has a secret to keep.  But will she give her heart away?
     Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago's rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere.  Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work and squeeze herself into the mold of the well-dressed wife who spends most of her time and money redecorating.
     When she meets Will, an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms.  Can she break away from her families expectations?  And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?
     Get swept away into the lavish world of Chicago's high society as Olivia Newport brings to life an age of glitz and grandeur, start social contrasts, and one woman who dares to cross class lines for what she believes.

REVIEW:  Lucy is unlike most of the high society women of her era.  She is deeply concerned for the orphans in Chicago and does what she can to help them out.  She even dresses down in store bought dresses (a major no-no with High Society) so she can blend in with everyone instead of  standing out wearing her custom made clothes.  She also is determined to further her education now that the newly opened University of Chicago accept women students.  Her parents and fiance' believe her charity work will end once she is married but Lucy is determined it won't.
     This book is very well written.  I like the different stories going on within the book- Lucy and her struggle to decide whether or not to break off her engagement to Daniel; Lucy's determination to hide the fact that she is taking one class at a time from her parents and Daniel; Charlotte, Lucy's maid, hiding the fact that she is a single mom to a newborn at a time when that was extremely frowned upon; Lucy working with Charlotte to keep the knowledge of her baby a secret from everyone; and Lucy's developing relationship with Will, a friend of her brother Leo.  I really enjoyed everything about this book.
     This is the first book in the Avenue of Dreams series.  I can see a couple of potential stories for the upcoming books so I will be excited to read them when they come out.
      If you are looking for a fun book to read this summer (or any other time of the year), I suggest trying this one.  I think you will be well-pleased.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Olivia Newport's novels twist through time to discover where faith and passions meet.  Her husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on the way into her books.  She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.  For more information abut the author, to connect with her and learn more about the series, go to her website at www.olivianewport.com.