Customer Reviews

A Proper Pursuit

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A Proper Pursuit is the latest stand-alone novel by Lynn Austin and I must say it is one of her best. Its probably my favorite, next to Eve's Daughters.

The novel it about 20 year old Violet Rose Hayes who has just graduated from a ladies school and has returned home to discover that her father is going to remarry. She also discovers that her mother, whom she thought was ill, actually abondoned her 11 years ago for Chicago because she felt tied down in their small town. And then there is Violet's boring suitor Herman Beckett. Violet travels to Chicago to find her mother and stop her father's marriage, making the excuse to see the 1893 World's Fair. Along the way there she meets so called elixir salesman Silas McClure. While in Chicago, her grandmother and 3 great-aunts each have their own agenda for her. Her Aunt Agnes takes her to high-society parties in hopes to find a wealthy husband. While there, she meets Nelson Kent, the son of a wealthy businesman. Her Aunt Matt is constantly giving her lectures about women rights and takes her on a march or two. Violet's grandmother takes her to meet Louis Decker, a minister in training. Here Violet sees poverty for the first time in her life. Finally, her Aunt Birdie is constantly reminding her to marry for love. Through the course of the summer, Violet not only discovers the world, but she also discovers herself and must determine what path and what man is the right choice for her.

I really liked the character of Violet Hayes. The book is written in first person from her view so it was quite engaging and we could read what was going on in her thoughts. And were some of the thoughts extremely funny! There were many laugh out loud lines within the books pages. I liked how I could also relate to Violet since I am about the same age as her. I am 21 and was naive about the world before I went to college just as she was before she went to Chicago. I thought it hilarious each time Violet related a situation to a crime or a romance novel. I find that I let my imagination run wild as well at times because I enjoy mystery and romance novels the most, just like Violet. :)

I also loved how Lynn Austin made the 1893's World Fair seem so real to me. It makes me wish that the Fair would occur near my home so I could visit it as well since it sounded so fascinating. The romance in the book was realistic and did not down-play Violet's true purpose. Her purpose in Chicago was not to find a husband (though its implied she does anyway). It is to find her mother and to find answers to the many mysteries that are introduced in the book.

If you love Lynn Austin make sure to read this book! The book was 432 pages and I read through it quickly in 3 days because I could not put it down. I subscribe to Lynn Austin's newsletter and she says her next book will be about 3 immigrant sisters in New York. I am already looking forward to it. The only dreadful thing is that I have to wait a full year to read the book next fall.

I am a teenage girl and I LOVED this book.
I am a avid reader, so I have read my share of phony, self absorbed, "light" Christian romances. Most of them focas more on the physical attractions and the circumstances to make up the story.

This book, I am proud to say, is different. Literally from the first sentence of the book I was inside the main character's mind. I felt her emotions and understood why she thought the way she did.

The character development was superb! I was instantly attached to every new character I met.

I will admit, because I am such a avid reader, I had the whole thing figured by chapter four. But I was proven wrong on many points before the book ended!

The romance was there. The circumstances were there. And there was a STRONG christian message! Unlike some other Christian Romances, this book and it's main character avidly pursues a deep relationship with God.

I recommend this book to all teen girls. This is much better food for thought than the (forgive me for my boldness)worldly and physical romance of books like Twilight and even some Christian novels.

The book is not perfect, but it is MUCH better than any other "romance" novel I have read thus far.

Enjoy it!

I can always expect a good read from Lynn Austin. I feel that she's one of Christian fiction's more stellar authors. From the excellent Refiner's Fire trilogy featuring different women's perspectives during the Civil War, to the multi-generational storytelling of Eve's Daughters and All She Ever Wanted, to the touching and intriguing Israel novel Wings of Refuge, she consistently releases strong, interesting novels.

A Proper Pursuit is no exception. Twenty-year-old Violet, beautiful, independent, and impulsive, spends a few months in Chicago living with her grandmother and her great-aunts. She wants to find her long-lost mother and to prevent her father's impending marriage. Her grandmother and aunts would like her to find romance, and she wouldn't mind it either. More than that, though, she wants to find out who she is, and who she wants to be. Threads of suspense, romance, and conflict are interwoven through the story to make for one very interesting summer!

I like this novel because while it's not the most groundbreaking or evocative fiction ever, it's skillfully written and consistently engaging. Although it's written in a bit of a lighter tone than some of Austin's other books, it's not shallow. Violet is a truly lovable character. I related to her in many ways. Get to know her and I don't think you'll be sorry.

I was disappointed in Lynn Austin's latest, A Proper Pursuit. It reminded me too much of the Carol Cox's A Fair to Remember series, which also centers around the World's Fair. Violet Hayes is a spunky, inquisitive, impressionable twenty year old. She has recently graduated from her finishing school to return home to find out that her mother is gone and her father is remarrying a widow whom Violet refers to as Murderous Maude (her first husband died somewhat suspiciously). Violet uses nicknames to remember some of the more unsavory and unpleasant people she meets. It's one of the few humorous points in the story. She leaves for Chicago to see the World's Fair and to search for her mother. She is quickly paraded around to the eligible bachelors in town by her Aunt Agnes, taken on suffragette marches with her Aunt Matt, and serves with her Grandmother in church ministries. Violet is a curious girl and is fascinated with the Pinkerton's and detective work in general. If all things were fair and equal she would have liked to become a detective. She starts sniffing out clues to find her mother and about the string of robberies at the Women's Pavilion at the Fair.

It's an interesting story but the plot is predictable. Lynn Austin has written some outstanding stories (particularly her Civil War series). But this one is not quite up to her standards. It's still a satisfying Christian fiction read but it drags on too long, yet the ending resolutions happen quickly and feel rushed. Though not one of her better works, it had all the elements of a great story -mystery, intrigue, drama, history, and romance. Especially after reading Carol Cox's story (one where the heroine is searching for her father in Chicago) the plot felt too familiar and the mysteries weren't really mysterious but instead predictably simple. Ms. Austin is one of the few Christian fiction authors who is able to write historical stories that are faith-based and faith filled without out being too preachy. She has a knack for creating interesting, relatable characters that are fun to read about. Here's hoping her next story is full of surprises rather than predictable outcomes.

I love sweet romances, especially historicals, so I was thrilled to stumble across this novel. However after fifteen minutes I was ready to put it down, never to finish again. A Proper Prusuit follows Violet, a 20 year old graduate of a lady's finishing school, who comes home to find that her father is remarrying a widow with children and that her "sick" mother ran out on her family nine years earlier. Despirate to find her long lost mother, Violet convinces her father to allow her to travel to Chicago and stay with her grandmother so she can secretly undertake a search for her long lost mother.

Violet, in these first chapters, is the most childish and silly 20 year old ever to exist. She tells us repeatidly that she lived a sheltered life, but it still never seems to add up to a 20 year old woman, sheltered or not. Fortunately, things get better as the novel progresses--she enters the company of the older women in her family--her grandmother and two great aunts--who all manage to reveal different facets of Violet's personality. As a result she grows a great deal in the month that we watch her and for that, this book is worth the time and effort.

I downloaded this on my Kindle when it was offered for free a month or two ago. I'd never heard of the book or the author, but the story seemed interesting.

I started it on the beach yesterday and finished it today, I'm glad I didn't read any of the reviews beforehand or I wouldn't have read it if I knew it was a "Christian" book. Not because I have anything against Christians, I just figured it would be preachy and smug. I really did enjoy it though; it wasn't until the end that I figured out that there may be a Christian angle to it, only when Violet asked Silas if he was a believer. What? To me that came out of nowhere, that's when the light bulb went off, duh. Honestly though I still wasn't totally sure if it was Christian fiction or not, but just based on that one exchange between the two lead characters I had a feeling it might be so I came on the Amazon site to "research". Base on the reviews apparently my hunch was right :-)

There were parts of the books that were religious, but they were perfectly relevant to the plot. In no way does the author try and jam it down your throat. She goes into the same about of detail when she talks about Women's Rights, the Chicago Worlds Fair, Chicago Fire or immigrant slums and sweat shops. Religion is just ONE aspect of the book, a lot of themes are covered.

Great book for the beach. If you like Christian fiction I really have no idea how "A Proper Pursuit" stacks up, but if you like light Historical fiction with likable characters pick this one up.

I have really enjoyed this book. It was funny and very engaging.
Lynn Austin has not disappointed me yet in any of her books. I love the sense of humor in this book though I have picked up clues to solve the small mystery too soon. I loved the personalities of the sisters whom Violet visited in Chicago. I have felt as an insider of the story and anticipated heroine's every move. But I am not giving the book five stars since there were not many interactions between hero and heroine. I wished there would be more.

i never read anything by lynn austin. i think this is a great book. violet made laugh out loud in the first couple of pages. i found all of the main characters to be unique and endearing in their own ways. i was quite disappointed when the story came to an end. would love a sequel.

thank you for offering the book for free - that is an added bonus.

Lynn Austin, God has gifted you with a beautiful talent for the written word. I loved this book. I thought Eve's Daughters would always be my very favorite, and it's right up there, but this book tops it for me. I loved all the main characters, especially Violet and Aunt Bertie. I don't remember laughing outloud so much while reading a book in a long time. It was just in a couple of places, but I could hardly stop laughing. It's a book about life, love, finding the true meaning of forgiveness and learning how to forgive. This book historically takes us back to the Great Chicago Fire, The Chicago Worlds Fair Exposition, the days of Dwight L. Moody's first church in Chicago and the start of his school. The women who campaigned for the right to vote. Those who helped the immigrants and the poor in the tennements of the city, Jane Addams, etc. But its mostly about a girl named Violet who leaves her father and home in Lockport, Il., goes to Chicago, stays with her grandmother and 2 aunts and sets out to find her mother who abandoned her when she was 7 yrs. Reading along we go back to how different it was to live so long ago in this era right before the 20th century and experience all the joys and sorrows of that time. This is a book I will read more than once, and I will always close the book thinking of a quote from Aunt Bertie that runs throughout it, "Well, then," she said, smiling once again. "That says it all, doesn't it."

I found this book to be fully engaging and mesmerizing. Our main character is young, but enjoyable and full of life. Her father tells her the truth about her mother, that she didn't pass away, she just left them. At the same time he tells her he is marrying Maude.

So she gets her dad to let her go to Chicago and visit her grandmother and aunts. The 4 of them have different ideas about who Violet should marry. One for money, one for Jesus, one for love and one thinks she shouldn't marry at all. Also, Violet's dad and Maude want her to marry Herman.

What will Violet do? Who is right? This story has suspense, love, lots of great wisdom and just a real enjoyable read.