Author: Alison Atlee
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: January 29, 2013
Source: HF Virtual Book Tours
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "In Victorian London, there’s only so far an unmarried woman can go, and Betsey Dobson has relied on her wits and cunning to take herself as far as she can—to a position as a typewriter girl. But still, Betsey yearns for something more…so when she’s offered a position as the excursions manager at a seaside resort, she knows this is her chance for security, for independence, for an identity forged by her own work and not a man’s opinion. Underqualified for the job and on the wrong side of the aristocratic resort owner, Betsey struggles to prove herself and looks to the one person who can support her new venture: Mr. Jones, the ambitious Welshman building the resort’s pleasure fair. As she and Mr. Jones grow ever closer, Betsey begins to dream that she might finally have found her place in the world—but when her past returns to haunt her, she must fight for what she’s worked so hard…or risk losing everything."
My Two Cents:
In "The Typewriter Girl," Betsey is working a job that she hates. She is a typewriter girl which demands "concentration, not contemplation," meaning there is not a lot of room for daydreaming and Betsey hates that. She gets in trouble and loses her job and decides to start a new life in a lovely English seaside town. This is a great historical fiction about following your heart to see all of the wonderful places that it will take you.
Betsey is definitely a woman ahead of her time. Sometimes this storyline doesn't work out well (it seems too out of place or too unrealistic) but here it works really well. I really enjoyed her character. She is driven but she is also a dreamer. Even in a world that is still very much male dominated, Betsey stands for herself. She is definitely a strong character. I did wonder about her and Mr. Jones because even though she is strong, she seems to sway when it comes to him. I wanted to know a little bit about that but overall, I thought her character worked really well!
I had been wanting to read this book for awhile and it is definitely one that I now know that I should have never waited this long again. But as Betsey shows us, there is always room to fix your mistakes! I really enjoyed the way that this book was written. There is plenty of historical detail to keep all of my fellow historical fiction lovers interested. There is also a really fantastic setting. I loved reading about Atlee's depiction of a Victorian seaside resort (oh how I would like to visit there myself)! This book definitely provided a great opportunity for some quality armchair traveling!
Follow the Rest of the Tour:
Monday, August 4
Review at Peeking Between the Pages (Audio Book)
Book Blast at Mina’s Bookshelf
Book Blast at Princess of Eboli
Book Blast at Literary Chanteuse
Book Blast at What Is That Book About
Tuesday, August 5
Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews (Print)
Book Blast at So Many Books, So Little Time
Wednesday, August 6
Book Blast at Let Them Read Books
Thursday, August 7
Book Blast at Mari Reads
Book Blast at Book Lovers Paradise
Friday, August 8
Book Blast at Book Blast Central
Saturday, August 9
Book Blast at Caroline Wilson Writes
Sunday, August 10
Book Blast at Book Nerd
Monday, August 11
Review at Just One More Chapter (Audio Book)
Book Blast at Gobs and Gobs of Books
Tuesday, August 12
Book Blast at Queen of All She Reads
Wednesday, August 13
Review at Historical Tapestry (Audio Book)
Book Blast at The Lit Bitch
Book Blast at CelticLady’s Reviews
Thursday, August 14
Review at A Bookish Affair (Print)
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry
Friday, August 15
Review at Brooke Blogs (Audio Book)
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Saturday, August 16
Book Blast at Broken Teepee
Sunday, August 17
Interview at Closed the Cover
Monday, August 18
Review at The Maiden’s Court (Audio Book)
Tuesday, August 19
Book Blast at Layered Pages
Book Blast at Always with a Book
Wednesday, August 20
Book Blast at Literary, Etc.
Thursday, August 21
Review at Books in the Burbs (Print)
Book Blast at Bibliotica
Friday, August 22
Review at Bibliophilia, Please (Audio Book)
Saturday, August 23
Book Blast at Reading Lark
Book Blast at Ageless Pages Reviews
Sunday, August 24
Book Blast at Passages to the Past
Monday, August 25
Review at Flashlight Commentary (Audio Book)
Book Blast at Historical Fiction Connection
Tuesday, August 26
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, August 27
Book Blast at Susan Heim on Writing
Thursday, August 28
Review at Luxury Reading (Print)
Review at The True Book Addict (Audio Book)
Review at Jorie Loves a Story (Print)
Friday, August 29
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story
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