Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Davenports

I wouldn’t say the characters are diverse because it is a Black story so all the characters are Black, so that could potentially be diverse, but also not…

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idabooks32's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I finished this books with many questions and feelings, I don’t normally do reviews but this book felt like it deserve one.

the good:
The davenport’s is a charming book, with fun characters. It is a 4-way story, and one of the main characters chapters were particularly good. The chapters centred around Amy-Rose were captivating and moving as the story of a mixed race maid wanting to make a name for herself and start a business was nothing short of interesting. The facts and truths of racism of the time made the story emotional at times which i thoroughly enjoyed.

the bad as dot point:
• every single male character was one dimensional
• the story was centred around relationships rather than LOVE
• the 4-way story telling was too much, and all 4 stories sounded the same. i would barely be able to tell whose is whose chapter of it weren’t for the names at the begging of the chapter
• the story was rather un-engaging at times

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jadorereadss's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is more a 2 star rating for me, but it kept me intrigued enough that I wanted to finish the book to see what would happen. Overall, this book just wasn't for me and I don't think I'll be picking up the sequel. None of the male love interests were intriguing, there was so much going on with the plot following four girls, I wish that we saw the Davenport siblings confide in each other more. The plot also felt very repetitive and unnecessarily long, and the ending was terrible.

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amberinpieces's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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elizherlihy's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this book! I’ve been in a Bridgerton drought after finishing all of those books and I was so happy to find this new story to fall into. Each character was so beautifully fleshed out and I felt fully immersed in their world. I did not expect it to end the way it did but I thought it only made it all the more believable.

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mari1532's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I checked this audiobook out from my local library and I absolutely devoured it.

Synopsis: Set in Chicago in the 1910s, the Davenports explores the lives and relationships of Olivia, her sister Helen, her best friend Ruby, and her childhood friend and maid, Amy-Rose. Switching between each woman's point of view the story unfolds to show their dreams, desires, and daily struggles.

Olivia Davenport is the eldest daughter of a wealthy carriage company owner but longs to have more meaning in her life than charity events and expensive gowns. Her sister, Helen, too dreams of more than the strict confines of marriage and actively participates in the carriage company with her brother, John, hoping to expand the business toward the automotive industry.

Ruby is also struggling against the expectations of her family. As her father attempts a bid for mayor the pressure to meet her parents' expectations mount. Expected to marry John Davenport, the brother of her best friend Olivia, Ruby begins to wonder if the path set out for her since childhood is the path she really wants to take.

Amy-Rose, however, has her path clear in front of her. Open a women's hair salon in a local storefront. Ever since she and her mother were taken in as help for the Davenport family Amy-Rose has dreamed of sticking out on her own and the passing of her mother has only made her more determined. That is if love doesn't stand in her way.

Marquis' writing style is so engrossing. I wasn't even 5% in before I was incredibly emotionally invested in the outcome of the characters' story. All four of the women that were the focus of this book were so well-rounded and relatable. I think that I personally related to Ruby the most, but Amy-Rose was my favourite. Helen and Olivia were also very good characters and I loved the nature of their relationship as sisters. Helen by far was the funniest character and I was the most invested in Olivia's love story. About 50% of the way through the book I was desperate to know that there would be more books in the series and was elated when I Googled and found that Marquis is already working on the second installment.

The heat in this book is pretty limited, but I was so engrossed in the story. If you enjoy historical romance novels I would recommend this one. The story is definitely going to leave you wanting more.

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medini_l's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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foxreadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

In her author's note, Marquis notes that she wanted "The Davenports to hold up examples of representation" she did not have as a teen, and to "focus on young Black women discovering the courage to pursue their dreams- and loves-at a time when Jim Crow, fear, and distrust threatened both." In this, Marquis succeeds. The 4 female protagonists follow their hearts, even though internal and external conflicts. The novel introduces significant historical changes like Jim Crow laws, the end (and lasting repercussions) of slavery, and the civil rights movement.

Why 3 stars then? To be fair, this wasn't written for an adult white woman, so take the following with a grain of salt. I often have difficulty with novels written through multiple POVs, and 4 characters, who were all interesting in their own right, were too many. Coupled with the parallelism in their stories, it felt like the ups and downs were a little one note, especially as early on, these conflicts centred around men. As this appears to be a series, I would have loved a novel about each woman individually rather than jumping back and forth.

Would I put this in a high school library and encourage kids to read it? Yes. Would I recommend it to a friend... probably not.

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