The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | Series: Avenue of Dreams (Book 1)

Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago's rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work--and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago. When she meets an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family's expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?

Readers will love being swept away into a world of mansions, secrets, and romance as they follow Lucy through the streets of the Windy City during one of the most exciting times in the city's history. From opulent upper-class homes to the well-worn rooms of an orphanage, Olivia Newport breathes life and romance into the pages of history--and everyone is invited.

My take on this book:

I am always a sucker for a pretty cover and when the story is a historical fiction, well I find myself excited to dive into the pages of the story. With "The Pursuit of Lucy Banning," the author pens a story with a top notch protagonist, who comes from an affluent family but wants something different than most rich girls in her position longs for. She longs for higher education, but her mother thinks that the only thing that really matters is a good marriage, and it had always been a given that Lucy would marry Daniel Jules, the son of her parents closest friends, but that's not what Lucy wants. Instead she is secretly taking a college course and volunteering at an orphanage. Will she finally do what her parents want and marry Daniel, or does life have something else in store for her?

While I enjoyed the characters in this story, for me it was the historical era and the descriptions that I found most enjoyable. I could easily imagine the time period, with Chicago getting ready for the World's Fair. Now on to the characters, I enjoyed how Lucy's character grew and changed as the story progressed, and I sort of found myself feeling sorry for Daniel. I thought the secondary characters really added to the overall story and can't wait to read more about Charlotte's character.

Overall a very good debut novel that historical fiction fans will want to read.

"Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.