Customer Reviews

Michigan Brides (Romancing America)

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Starting from the first page, it was difficult to stop reading 'Michigan Brides'. I was immediately immersed into times of the Industrial Revolution and the social culture in Detroit.

I would classify this book of three stories as a romantic historical fiction with a G rating. What drew me to this book was the time of the Industrial Revolution and the beginnings of the first gasoline powered automobiles. Another draw was the location, Detroit, Michigan. The stories made me wonder about the times when my great grandparents were young. They were all in Indiana but all the Midwestern states share same commonalities. They were mainly agricultural and when Industrial Revolution came, car manufacturing companies and all sorts of new companies emerged. Back then, life was more formal and the social status was extremely important.

There are three separate stories that are linked by the family relationships In Michigan Brides. In the first one, Felicity Chambers, an upper class young lady finds fulfillment in charity work. She genuinely finds joy in making life more bearable for others. She meets Brandt Lawson who appears to be of the lower class poor. And thereby starts the conflict of classes.

In the second one, the 1893 financial crash plunged many families into poverty. Annabelle Lawson is like her mother doing charity work by ladling out water for thirsty families gardening on loaned land. She meets William Berringer whose family was greatly hurt by the 1893 financial crash. I read elsewhere that the crash was bad, that many abandoned their homes and headed west.

In the third story, Shannon Delaney is frightened of the dangers of modern machinery when she meets Jacob Berringer. Jacob Berringer is very excited and thrilled about the changes exploding all around.

The author, Tiffany Amber Stockton very skillfully walks us into another century and place. She makes us aware of the differences between social classes, social graces and the position of women at that time. It is books like this that help us imagine what life may have been like for our ancestors during that era. Tiffany Amber Stockton brings this time to life.

I recommend this book for all who love a gentle romance and are interested in the cultural history of our country.