A young romance writer makes a discovery that throws her elitist family into chaos.
Emma Page grew up the black sheep in a bookish household, raised to believe fine literature is the only worthy type of fiction. Her parents, self-proclaimed “serious” authors who run their own vanity press, The Mighty Pages, mingle in highbrow social circles that look down on anything too popular or mainstream, while her sister, Jess, is a powerful social-media influencer whose stylish reviews can make or break a novel.Hiding her own romance manuscript from her disapproving parents, Emma finds inspiration at the family cottage among the “fluff” they despise: the juicy summer romances that belonged to her late grandmother. But a chance discovery unearthed from her Gigi’s belongings reveals a secret that has the power to ruin her parents’ business and destroy their reputation in the industry—a secret that has already fallen into the hands of an unscrupulous publishing insider with a grudge to settle. Now Emma must decide: As much as she’s dreamed of the day her parents are forced to confront their own egos, can she really just sit back and watch The Mighty Pages be exposed and their legacy destroyed?
MY THOUGHTS:
Emma Page appreciates fine literature, especially as she has come from a literary family. Not following her parents’ tradition, Emma has a love for romance, and penning a romance novel would not be in line with her parents’ vanity press. In fact, the family is known as the Mighty Pages, and to refer to them as literary snobs would be right on target. Emma stands out from her family, even her sister Jess, a well respected book reviewer.
But there was a much deeper story to be told other than Emma hoping that her publisher will buy her story. Viola Shipman (Wade Rouse) touches on deep issues in this book. One of those serious issues is that of the Bechdel Test. As much as I read, this term was new to me. I didn’t realize that the simple way for this test to be passed is having two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. In this book, there are Emma and her sister Jess, and their conversations. Not only is this one of the issue explored, I love how the author gave great substance to their conversations.
Not only will the reader gain so much by reading this book, there is also his personal letter to his readers at the end of the story. There is also an excellent discussion guide included with this book. One discussion point that really stood out to me was this one: “Books written for, by or about women are often categorized as “beach reads” or “chick lit” which can diminish their value in many readers’ eyes before they even read the book. In addition, hopeful stories with happy endings are often deemed “less than” by literary critics who tend to prefer books with heavier or darker themes.” Serious food for thought.
Emma’s journey to publication also offers insights into the publishing industry, including submissions and acquisitions. The bad, as well as the good. I was thoroughly engaged in the story of Emma Page and her family, as I have been with every Viola Shipman book I’ve read.
Many thanks to Graydon House and to NetGalley for this book for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Wade’s books have been selected multiple times as Must-Reads by NBC’s Today Show, Michigan Notable Books of the Year and Indie Next Picks. He lives in Michigan and California, and hosts Wine & Words with Wade, A Literary Happy Hour, every Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment