Thursday, March 12, 2020

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

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It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:
  • Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
  • The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring Careers for Women by Joanna Scott.

Careers for Women 

Beginning: The  Golden Door

"My dears, it goes without saying that there are advantages to being a woman."  Mrs. J spoke in a voice strong and clear enough to be heard over the noise of other diners. 

 
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Page 56:   I don't know if I am being accurate when I say that she seemed more quietly contented with herself, as if her self-worth had been raised in her own estimation.
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My thoughts:  I like novels that give a snapshot of a particular time and place in recent history.  This story about career women in New York in the 1950's fits the bill.

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From GoodReads:  New York in the late 1950s. A city, and a world, on the cusp of change..

Maggie Gleason is looking toward the future. Part of a midcentury wave of young women seeking new lives in New York City, Maggie works for legendary Port Authority public relations maven Lee K. Jaffe--affectionately known to her loyal staff as Mrs. J. Having left Cleveland, Maggie has come to believe that she can write any story for herself that she imagines.

Pauline Moreau is running from the past--and a shameful secret. She arrives in the city on the brink of despair, saddled with a young daughter who needs more love, attention, and resources than Pauline can ever hope to provide. Seeing that Pauline needs a helping hand, Mrs. J tasks Maggie with befriending, and looking after, Pauline.

As the old New York gives way to the new, and Mrs. J's dream of the world's largest skyscraper begins to rise from the streets of lower Manhattan, Pauline--with the aid of Maggie and Mrs. J--also remakes herself. But when she reignites the scandal that drove her to New York, none of their lives will ever be the same. Maggie must question everything she thought she knew about love, work, ambition, and family to discover the truth about the enigmatic, strong woman she thought she had rescued.
Careers for Women is a masterful novel about the difficulties of building a career, a dream, or a life--and about the powerful small mercies of friendship and compassion.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

4 comments:

  1. I like the sound of this one. It seems interesting, and I like the quotes.

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  2. You had me with these excerpts. Now I am definitely adding it to my list.

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  3. This is the perfect for this month.

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  4. Interesting snippets!! Happy weekend!

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