I enjoyed the couples and this story from beginning to end. The cover is beautiful, especially with yellow being my favorite color.

The romance is fluffy and slow-paced though the initial relationships are fast. The three Davenport siblings, family friend Ruby, and the maid/another family friend Amy-Rose (is the author a Sonic fan?) all get their trials with love.

Very little gets resolved in this book to make way for the next in the series. But I ate up every bit of it! The cute banter, the childhood friends, the parental expectations, the backdrop of civil rights in the US, and the EXTRAVAGANT BALLROOMS!

Toni Morrison was so right. If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must write it (I feel like she was speaking this to creators). I'm so happy Marquis wrote this book for herself and other young readers because I had the joy of reading it. :) The author’s note was very informative and lovely.

I already want book two. I need more of the Davenports! ( )

1.75 ( )

Recommended by Lauren B.

In early 1900s Chicago, four young Black women strive to achieve their dreams in the face of their family's expectations. Elder daughter Olivia has always done what's expected with her, and now she seems poised to marry someone her parents approve of - but she is intrigued by an activist lawyer from down South, who opens her eyes to the Jim Crow reality and makes her want to do more. Younger daughter Helen wants to help the family carriage business grow to include "horseless carriages" alongside her brother John, but her parents don't approve of her mechanical bent. Olivia's friend Ruby is hiding the fact that her father's bid for mayor is draining the family finances; meanwhile, she's trying to get John to propose to her, but his attention is elsewhere...on the family friend/maid Amy-Rose, who dreams of opening her own hair salon. What each character wants initially changes by the end of the story as they grow within and against the constraints of society.

An oddly high number of typos - I caught at least six.

Quotes

"Everyone has to leave home sometime." (Tommy to Amy-Rose, 26)

"Going to bed hungry each night as a child makes you hungry in other ways as an adult." (Mr. Davenport to Olivia, 126)

...realized that if she did everything right, she had a life of absolute boredom ahead of her. (Helen, 133)

"It's no easy task balancing what you want for yourself and what your family wants for you." (Lawrence to Helen, 139)

"I guess living up to expectations is the rule, no matter where you grow up." (Olivia to Lawrence, 173)

"Good news, there's always time to decide who you want to be." (Lawrence to Olivia, 174)

"Much of what affects our lives is out of our control. We should always strive to make the choices we can." (Mrs. Milford to Helen, 238)

"Enslavement is rooted in our history, Ruby. I wanted something we could build, as far away from that past as we could get without forgetting it." (Mrs. Tremaine to Ruby, 254)

So much of her future was predetermined, she had never allowed herself to think about the many ways it could be different. (Olivia, 303) ( )

A YA novel featuring America's Black elite during The Gilded Age? I didn't want to miss this book. Especially given the absolutely gorgeous book cover. (The front cover of the hardback isn't yellow but gilded in shiny gold!)

Given what I read in several spoiler reviews (yes, I purposely look for those if I'm struggling with a book), I wouldn't call this a romance novel: one that follows the formula of genre romance. The book does focus on the four main young ladies' romantic lives, though. I knew that much going in and hoped I'd find it interesting...

But I didn't feel like the four POVs worked in the novel's favor. (Perhaps paring it down to two POVs with distinct plots would've been better?) It was taking too long for me to really connect with or want to root for any of the young ladies, and the guys they were longing or catching feelings for came off as polished jerks to me. Repeated descriptions of male muscles, smiles and good teeth, and close body heat along with repeated descriptions of racing female hearts and rising gooseflesh aren't what make romantic storylines interesting to me.

I have to find the people compelling. People I'd want to know. Both the ladies and the gents.

If this had been a shorter book, I might have held on, since: 1) historical fiction is my all-time favorite genre; 2) it's been high time for more books in the genre reflecting Black history, particularly history that isn't focused solely on slavery or Black trauma; and 3) I hoped to find more in the read about women's suffrage, Black social activism, Black business ownership and businesswomen, and more historical aspects.

Yet, because my reading time is limited these days and I've got so many books I want to try, I usually give a novel somewhere between 50-100 pages to grip my heart and/or mind, or else I move on.

Still, if you'd be interested in a full cast of Black, Gilded Age characters going through young love triangles/romantic drama where Happily Ever After endings aren't a must, you might want to check this one out.

This longtime historical fiction fan may even try Book Two in the series when it comes out. Maybe I'll enjoy reading about some of the characters if they've learned and matured a bit in the next book?

First sentence: Olivia Elise Davenport pulled a bolt of vibrant yellow silk from the display and held it to her dark complexion. She was drawn to the bright fabric nearly hidden behind the muted pastels, a shock of sunshine peeking through the clouds, and wondered if it was too bright for so early in the season. In her free hand, she held a sample of beaded lace and tried to imagine the sound it would make whispering around her ankles while she danced. There will be a lot of dancing, she thought.

Premise/plot: Set circa 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, The Davenports is an historical soap opera for young adults [and adults]. The Davenports are a socially elite, wealthy Black family. Mr. Davenport is a successful business man [carriage company]. They are the Somebodies of the [black] community. This soap opera features three Davenport siblings--Olivia (the oldest daughter), John (the only son), and Helen (the youngest daughter). Olivia is 'on the market' if you will. Her parents want her to make a great match. To find someone equally well-thought-of [admired, respected, successful]. The novel opens with Olivia and her best friend, Ruby shopping. John wants to go beyond mere carriages and get into the automobile business. He doesn't reject the family business necessarily, but, he wants to take it in a new direction, expand upon it. The family assumes that Ruby and John will eventually make a match of it. But John, well, he's been noticing the maid, Amy-Rose. Helen, the youngest, I believe, is closest to John. The two of them really like automobiles and mechanics. Her parents frown her doing anything with mechanics or the family business really. She should be preparing herself for the marriage market. True, it isn't quite her turn in the spotlight, but she really should be mindful of her reputation, of her manners, of her appearance. Helen's practical, no-nonsense manner make her a good companion. Certainly Jacob Lawrence [Laurence???] thinks so. He's supposedly courting/wooing her older sister, Olivia. But. Helen and Jacob are drawn together. While Olivia is drawn to someone her parents do not at all approve of--an activist lawyer of a lower social standing, Washington DeWright. Ruby, her best friend, can relate. While her parents are pushing, pushing, pushing for her to get with John Davenport, she falls in love with someone she's "pretending" to court to make John jealous. (I don't remember his first name, but his last name is Barton). Her feelings turn all-too-real. John, meanwhile, is pursuing the maid, Amy-Rose, who has dreams of her own. She is head-over-heels in love with her employers' son, but, she also has more realistic 'impossible' dreams of opening up her own hair salon for black women. Many of the romances in this one have conflicts--obvious ones--which will require courage and boldness to defy expectations.

My thoughts: I'm not sure if the intended audience--actual preteens and teens--will see the similarities between this one and LUXE by Anna Godbersen. The first Luxe novel released in 2007. [Many teens wouldn't have even been born yet. Some would have been mere babies.] Luxe features white characters in Manhattan circa 1899. Davenports feature a mostly-if-not-exclusively black cast of characters in Chicago in 1910. So there are certainly some differences. And not just surface-differences. The Davenports does address heavier issues, mainly in regards to race, race expectations, how to best 'serve the race,' 'represent the race,' 'raise the race,' etc.

The Davenports is a soap opera. It is what it is. It isn't 100% fluff. That's not what I'm implying. Nor am I suggesting that the characterization is weak. It just follows a predictable formula in regards to how the drama [or melodrama] unfolds. ( )