A Woman's Place

A Woman's Place #1

by Susanne O'Leary

This is the story of two women, mother and daughter, based on true events. In 1899, Julia, at the age of twenty, travels on her own to New York in hot pursuit of the man whose child she carries. Living life with passionate intensity, across the social realm, Julia struggles to survive in turbulent times. Her daughter Sonja, born of that first tempestuous union but brought up in Finland by a stepfather when Julia remarries, has the same spirit and courage as her mother. Her wanderlust takes her to Paris and then on to New York, where, for a short time, she leads a ‘Great Gatsby’- life in the aftermath of the Wall street crash.The backdrop of the Great Depression and its impact on society then, provides an interesting parallel to the present times. Set in Stockholm, Helsinki, Monte Carlo, Paris and New York from 1899 through to the 1930’s, this is a story with a true eye-witness feel.A large part of the narrative is provided by the texts of the letters actually exchanged between the main characters.Author’s This story is based on family letters, postcards and diaries written by my great-aunt Julia and her daughter Sonja. You can see photos of the real women behind the story on my am at the moment writing a sequel, as so many readers wanted to know what happened to Sonja.I would like to add that the English I use is British, ie 'colour' rather than 'color' and so on. The spellchecker in my computer is set to British too and the usage of words and phrasings might be different to US ways (which in English English is correct, rather than the US 'different from'). This might appear as 'wrong' spelling and grammatical errors at times to American readersI always stick to British English because that's what I was brought up with and, as the books are also read in the UK and other European countries, I feel this is right for me and my readers.New, corrected version uploaded February 15, 2012

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2010

About the author

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than 30 novels, mainly romantic fiction set in Ireland. Her many books set in County Kerry have been hugely popular with readers all over the world. She shares her time between Dublin and Kerry, where she and her husband have a little cottage near the beach. The wild, beautiful landscape, the small villages and the friendly people of that county have inspired her to write her feel-good stories. She's been inspired to represent people of all ages and walks of life, with lots of romance, and more than a dash of humour.

When she is not writing or reading by the fire, Susanne loves heading for the great outdoors, walking on the beaches or scaling the green hills of her favourite county.

Reviews

[BritStation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of Emotions!

I found it to be very different from some of her other books I've read. I suppose it is the years in which it passes through, as well as the countries in which many different lives were changed. I am looking forward to her follow-up to this book.

[Shari Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is based on the author's real life great aunt and her daughter and on the letters, postcards, and diaries they had written.
In 1899, Julia, who was 20 and living in Sweden, became pregnant by a man who left her to go work in the U.S. (He was unaware at the time of the pregnancy.) She traveled to the U.S. to find him, and to get him to marry her; very unusual for a woman to do at that time, as most in her situation would have gone away somewhere to have the baby then put it up for adoption.

Her daughter Sonja was born in the U.S., but spent most of her younger years in Finland, brought up by step father when Julia remarries. Sonja has the same courage and independent spirit as her mother, and her love of travel takes her to Paris, then on to New York, where she lives a Great Gatsby kind of life for awhile during the Depression.

I really enjoyed this book, and reading about these two woman and their lives. You can see photos of the real Julia and Sonja at the author's website, www.susanne-oleary.com. The author is also working on sequel, which I look forward to reading, to see what happens to Sonja.

[Beth Orsoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had heard the author talk about this book in the Amazon forums. When she mentioned that it was based on her own family, I was intrigued enough to buy it without waiting for reviews. I'm so glad I did! "A Woman's Place" is the story of two women, a mother and daughter, who did extraordinary things for the periods in which they lived (late 1800s and early 1900s). At times it reminded me of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" - both because it offers a glimpse into another era, and because I had trouble putting the book down.

The only negative for me was that the book ends on a bit of cliffhanger. But I've heard the author say that she is writing a sequel (problem solved), and I will surely be buying that one too.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the true stories of two of the author’s ancestors, “A Woman’s Place” is an excellent story. Culled from letters and diaries, O’Leary paints a picture of two women who were strong and independent in a way we take for granted today, but don’t often perceive as the norm then. Truly these were women ahead of their time in many ways. Not only is their life story interesting, but I found the insight into life in both Europe and America during the time the story takes place very interesting.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Susanne O'Leary's books. This is the 4th of hers I am reading. I am not good at writing reviews, but this is a wonderful story of two women trying to find their place in the world, and succeeding despite the obstacles.