The Pursuit of Lucy Banning
Avenue of Dreams, Book 1
Revell | Baker Publishing Group 2012
ISBN-13: 9780800720384
Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago’s rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker, the son of family friends, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon what matters to her most—her work at the orphanage and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago.
When she meets Will Edwards, an unconventional young architect working on plans for the 1893 World’s Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. A new young maid brings her own secret to the Banning household, and Lucy must choose between deeply held values.
Can Lucy find love and live out of her compassionate heart?
Avenue of Dreams, Book 1
Revell | Baker Publishing Group 2012
ISBN-13: 9780800720384
Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago’s rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker, the son of family friends, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon what matters to her most—her work at the orphanage and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago.
When she meets Will Edwards, an unconventional young architect working on plans for the 1893 World’s Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. A new young maid brings her own secret to the Banning household, and Lucy must choose between deeply held values.
Can Lucy find love and live out of her compassionate heart?
My Review: Welcome to Chicago during one of its most exciting times in history! Olivia Newport transports you back to Chicago during the planning and revealing of the Worlds Fair. Her attention to detail really immersed me into the Bannings' lives. I could feel the excitement, tension, love, and happiness thrumming throughout the Banning household. The fact that they were a prominent family, but chose not to flaunt it overly much made them all the more likable.
I instantly liked Lucy Banning. She truly was a kind-hearted soul who frequently went above and beyond the "expected" call of duty for those in her station. That, and her independent spirit, had me caught up in her life from beginning to end. The situation with Will intrigued me. I wish there would have been more interaction between him and the Banning family, and more from his point of view in the story. I don't feel I got to know him well. Charlotte Farrow's side story was compelling, to say the least, and I'm excited to read more of it next.
I couldn't pick out a strong message or lesson, which was fine. The way Lucy lived her life is a shining example of how a Christian should be. Her gentleness with the kids at the orphanage, love for her family, and kind-hearted, giving spirit are great indicators of God's hand on her life. Overall, I enjoyed Lucy's story. I look forward to reading more from Olivia Newport.
Olivia Newport's novels twist through time to discover where faith and passions meet. Her husband and two twenty-something children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where day lilies grow as tall as she is.
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