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A review by bookbelle5_17
The Old Maid: The 'Fifties by Jennifer Mooney
This novella is about a woman, Charlotte Lovell, who becomes pregnant out of wedlock. She cannot marry her fiancé nor claim her child so her cousin Delia takes in the little girl and eventually adopts the girl.
This is heartbreaking as we see struggling of these two women as they want to be a mother to Tina. Both have claims to her with one being her biological mother and the other raising Tina as her own. Who has a right be to this child? Does Charlotte's mistake take her rights to being a mother to Tina? She wanted to take care of the child, but because she would be judged and maybe even ostracized, she had to give the little girl, while still being present in her life. Today, we might still be judged for getting pregnant, but keeping the child is a woman's choice. On the other hand, Delia offers to raise Tina, and loves her as much as Charlotte, and Tina sees her as a mother. It is a story about an unfair situation where you can understand both woman and their motives. Like Wharton's other works it looks at the struggles women faced and what sacrifices they had to make to be accepted by society.
This is heartbreaking as we see struggling of these two women as they want to be a mother to Tina. Both have claims to her with one being her biological mother and the other raising Tina as her own. Who has a right be to this child? Does Charlotte's mistake take her rights to being a mother to Tina? She wanted to take care of the child, but because she would be judged and maybe even ostracized, she had to give the little girl, while still being present in her life. Today, we might still be judged for getting pregnant, but keeping the child is a woman's choice. On the other hand, Delia offers to raise Tina, and loves her as much as Charlotte, and Tina sees her as a mother. It is a story about an unfair situation where you can understand both woman and their motives. Like Wharton's other works it looks at the struggles women faced and what sacrifices they had to make to be accepted by society.