Wealth and Privilege
by Jeanette Watts
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BLURB:
Money.
Family. Love. Hate. Obsession. Duty. Politics. Religion - or the lack thereof.
Sex -- or, once again, the lack thereof.
Thomas Baldwin finds
himself married to a woman he can’t stand, while head-over heels in love with
another woman he can’t have. Talk about bad planning. He feels like a kite,
buffeted by circumstances which blow him not only through personal crises, but
also through some of the most significant events in Pittsburgh
A carefully-researched
historical novel about life among the privileged class of Pittsburgh
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My Review:
It was a great read,. The plot flows effortlessly and will keep the reader turning pages. Unpredictable up to the end. It's the first historical romantic novel I read all written from a man's perspective and I loved it.
Thomas is a charming guy, really awesome but is shy and awkward, never know how to behave in society. He has never been the favorite child of his mother and since his perfect brother died his mother compares constantly to him reminding his inferiority. She is now determined to get him to marry, Thomas doesn't want it but eventually he satisfies her and marries the wrong woman, absolutely unbearable. Too late he finds Regina, the woman he really loves: she is a smart girl, independent but also happily married.
It 's a romance with a love story as protagonist but is really good the historical reconstruction of the events of the second half of the 1800's, of the costumes and of Pittsburg: if you love this city and want to know a bit of its history this is the ideal reading.
I hope there is a sequel, I can not wait to read it!
Highly recommend it!
I received an advanced reader copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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EXCERPT:
The troops had achieved their objective. The tracks at the crossing were clear. They stood in formation, at attention, their
arms at their sides, guarding the tracks.
Their faces were impassive, and not one of them looked down.
The dead and dying lay scattered about the rail yard. There were men, women, even children lying
face down in the dirt. A young man in
the uniform of the 14th National Guards, one of the Pittsburgh regiments, was
crawling away from the scene, his right arm and leg both covered in blood.
From his elevated viewpoint, Thomas could see movements
beyond the rail yard, as people half-dragged, half-carried dead and wounded
away from the crossing. He could see the
shock on people’s faces – he could also feel the anger. It was a burning, deadly anger. These Philadelphians shot down protesters in
cold blood. By God, this wasn’t over
yet.
Thomas and Regina both sat down on the hard metal deck of
the water tower. They sat in silence,
too appalled by the scene below to say anything.
“They could have shot over people’s heads, and probably had
the same effect without killing anybody,” Regina said eventually.
“Could be,” Thomas answered, only half paying
attention. He’d seen movement on the
streets below. Yes, indeed: the protesters were returning. He nudged Regina – easy to do, since she’d
been leaning against him - and pointed.
She looked, and a grim, glad smile reached her lips, if not her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
When she isn’t writing, she teaches
social ballroom dances, refinishes various parts of her house, and sews
historical costumes and dance costumes for her Cancan troupe.
A little interview
Where are you from?
You’d think that would be a simple
question… I’ve lived in seven states so far.
I was born in Chicago, my childhood was spent in Montana, California,
Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. As
an adult, I’ve added Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Sometimes when I’m traveling, people ask me that question, and I open my
mouth to answer, but nothing comes out.
It’s especially bad when I’m back to an old home. I get back to Wisconsin and Pittsburgh a
lot. When I’m there, I have trouble
finding the words to say I’m in Ohio now.
What is the first book you remember
reading?
When I was about four years old, I
discovered this book of Peanuts cartoons in my father’s desk drawer. I was able to read it, all by myself. I was so thrilled, I’d found a grown-up book,
and I knew what it said!
Who are your favourite authors?
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the
Wind is the single most important influence on my writing. After that, I’d have to say Edith Wharton,
Philippa Gregory, David McCullough, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Louisa May
Alcott.
What inspired you to
write Wealth and Privilege?
It all started with a big stack of
romance novels. I was waiting for my
girlfriend at her house, and while I waited I started reading the back covers
of all the romance novels she had on this one table. I noticed a pattern, and I read the back
cover of every one she had in the room.
Almost all of them were set in the South. Every so often, one would be set in the
West. Now, I’m a Yankee girl, what’s so
unromantic about the North? Or the East,
for that matter? So I set out to write a
romantic story set in the Northeast. I
spent four years living in Pittsburgh, and I love, love, love that city. So I figured it was the perfect setting for
my love story.
What else do you enjoy doing, when
you're not writing?
I’m a dancer. I run a cancan troupe, a belly dance troupe,
and I teach social couple dancing to college kids, and bridal couples, and
Vintage dancers. All of the above also
requires that I do a lot of sewing. I’ve
always got several sewing projects in progress at one time.
What are your dreams and plans for
your future as a writer?
First of course is that everyone has
a chance to meet my characters in Wealth and Privilege. I also dream/plan about getting more writing
done. Life is always full of
distractions, especially when spending a lot of time dancing, teaching dance,
and sewing. I have so many projects, in
so many different genres, that I want to get out there. It’s all a matter of time, and work, and
luck. But it needs to be out of my head,
and written down.
Besides that, I’ll settle for a
million readers and a Hollywood contract, just like every other writer!
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Jeanette will be awarding a Victorian cameo to a
randomly drawn winner (International) via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
RispondiEliminaSounds like a great read.
RispondiEliminaGrazi! I like to think so ;-)
EliminaI really enjoyed learning about you and your book~this has been a terrific book tour! Thank you for a great post and contest!
RispondiEliminaThank you, Betty! I've enjoyed this tour immensely. If you decide to read Wealth and Privilege, please consider getting onto Goodreads and/or Amazon and giving the book a review!
RispondiElimina