LIFE IS A GAME. WE DRAW FROM THE DECK WE ARE DEALT AND DECIDE TO KEEP THAT CARD OR TAKE OUR CHANCES ON THE NEXT.
The day hinted of a spring overdue. It was March 25, 1911, in Greenwich Village, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was on fire. Nell Walker witnesses young women jumping to their death to flee the flames blocking their escape. The raging inferno kills 146 and sparks a flame in Nell that burns. She vows the world she lives in must change-a world divided by class, color and the desires of the heart. Choosing Herself is Nell’s story.
A brave, charming yet fiercely independent woman, Nell leaves the comforts of her Manhattan brownstone to reveal the desperate lives of the women and children working in the stifling factories and canneries of upstate New York. Exposing herself to real danger, her reporting introduces her to the headline grabbers of the emerging labor movement, women who seek a better life for themselves and their families and a man with a camera who brings light and shadow to his work and her life.
With captivating insight and heart, prize winning author Maureen Reid weaves fact and fiction into a world of Tammany ruffians, the quest for the perfect martini, and the need to make a difference.
Choosing Herself by Maureen Reid is a highly emotional read (tissues are required!) as Nell struggles to assert herself in her childhood house, and in her adult life…. In writing such a novel Reid has crafted an evocative insight into the life and times of women of that era in East Coast Americas…. Definitely a novel that will linger in the reader’s mind.”
ISBNs
978-1-63777-705-3 / 978-1-63777-706-0
978-1-63777-707-7
Genres
Historical Fiction / Ireland early 20th century
Women’s Fiction
358 pages
Imprint: Emperor Books
Language: English
Following a career that led her from managing colleges to Fortune-500 companies, to major international law firms, award winning author Maureen Reid began writing the kind of novels she loves to read. Blending fiction with historical facts, Maureen is inspired to write about strong women who by sheer will and spirit become the best that they can be. A storyteller, Maureen’s characters have been described as flawed but determined as they try to make a difference in their lives and in the lives of others. The issues they confront are as current as today’s headlines.
Reviews
Maureen Reid bridges several genres: historical fiction, women’s fiction, and romance novels. And readers who favor each of those types of books will be well-satisfied with “Choosing Herself.” We follow a strong woman – Nell – who takes us with her as an undercover journalist. Inspired by witnessing the horrors of the burning Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, she shares her experiences and observations of women who worked in the deplorable conditions of factories in the early 1900s. We quickly fall in love with Nell and her passions. In this book, we learn some of the darker sides of history and root for Nell’s burgeoning love story. While there are three books in this series – this is the second book – each book is satisfying on its own. Highly recommend.
Maureen Reid’s CHOOSING HERSELF is reminiscent of the inspiring historical novels that I began devouring as a teenager fifty odd years ago. As with Ms. Reid’s earlier novel, BECOMING HERSELF, her latest work is a multi-layered story of burgeoning self-awareness, poignant romance and satisfying social activism.