Maid of Steel by Kate Baker - #bookreview #blogtour

 

Bright sunshine made no difference to the March temperature, nor did it dry the puddles which covered the surface of Brooklyn Bridge in a rash of reflective measles. Enormous motorcars weaved their way between the more traditional hansom cabs, an army of dark metal monsters chugging their way to a takeover of city life.

Emma pulled her heavy woollen coat more closely round her body to keep out the chill wind whipping up the East River.

'Hey, you okay?' Martina stepped back to where Emma had paused at the handrail. They both leant over to watch the wakes left by barges wash to the river's edge.

***

It’s 1911 and, against her mother’s wishes, quiet New Yorker Emma dreams of winning the right to vote. She is sent away by her parents in the hope distance will curb her desire to be involved with the growing suffrage movement and told to spend time learning about where her grandparents came from.

Across the Atlantic – Queenstown, southern Ireland – hotelier Thomas dreams of being loved, even noticed, by his actress wife, Alice. On their wedding day, Alice’s father had assured him that adoration comes with time. It’s been eight years. But Alice has plans of her own and they certainly don’t include the fight for equality or her dull husband.

Emma’s arrival in Ireland leads her to discover family secrets and become involved in the Irish Women’s Suffrage Society in Cork. However, Emma’s path to suffrage was never meant to lead to a forbidden love affair…

***

If I had to choose just one thing that I really admired about this book, it would be how well the author has captured and portrayed the time period. She has clearly conducted extensive research and it has really paid off in this novel.

Of course, there are many other things that I enjoyed about this book too. Emma is an interesting protagonist and her bravery and single mindedness make for a wonderful character. The portrayal of the secondary characters is equally good, and the author has fleshed them out well and they were completely believable.

Set in Ireland and America we follow Emma on her journey across the Atlantic Ocean. However, it is her emotional journey that we follow every bit as much as her physical one and I enjoyed observing her character development.

Without giving anything away there is a twist at the end which made for a very satisfying reading experience.

As a debut novel this was excellent and I am looking forward to seeing what Ms. Baker does in the future.

ISBN: 978 1915352699

Publisher:  The Book Guild Ltd

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  312 (paperback)

About the Author:

Kate writes short stories and is presently drafting a second novel. Maid of Steel is her first full length novel to be published.

She writes at a desk covered in to-do lists and lights candles in the hope the lists disappear in the shadows.

She lives in East Anglia in the UK with her husband where they attempt to look after farmland for generations to come.

A small, very small, dog can be frequently found on Kate's lap. Otis is her first miniature dachshund.

(book provided courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(author photo and bio. info. courtesy of Amazon)