A review by what_heather_loves
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

"The Davenport children had known only what history had been taught by their governess, leaving them to imagine the worst. Olivia remembered the moment she'd realized that every Black person she knew was touched by the horror of slavery. Sometimes Olivia felt it like a wound hidden deep under smooth skin - one that she didn't remember receiving but that ached nonetheless."

It's 1910 and the wealthy and influential Davenport family, known for their luxurious carriages, have made their way to the top of Chicago's Black society. The loves and lives of those in their early twenties are told through the eyes of four, female protagonists - sisters, well-behaved Olivia & automobile-mad Helen Davenport, their childhood friend, impetuous Ruby Tremaine and their ladies maid and old friend, mixed race, determined Amy-Rose Shepherd. Each woman is bound by society's and their family's expectations of them.
 
Marketed for fans of Bridgerton, this also reminded me of Downton Abbey and of A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin. I loved the focus on the joy and pain of these spirited African-American women, very different from one another. Each is trying to find their way in the world in a new century, fearing Jim Crow, working out what to fight for and what to let go through trial and error. Encountering prejudice, misogyny and racism (some of their parents born into and escaped slavery), this is a warm, romantic and entertaining read that explores difficult but vital subjects with aplomb.

Inspired by the true story of the Patterson family (which got me reading up on them), it's refreshing, for me anyway, to read about wealthy and successful Black people in historical fiction (in UK it would be the Edwardian era). My only criticism is that it took some time to get my head around the multiple protagonists and their potential beaus and perhaps the story could have been told more concisely, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Romantic, historical, YA fiction about inspiring and resilient, Black women finding their own way in a challenging world, which I think many will enjoy.
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