A Proper Pursuit

I found this book to be fully engaging and mesmerizing. Our main character is young, but enjoyable and full of life. Her father tells her the truth about her mother, that she didn't pass away, she just left them. At the same time he tells her he is marrying Maude. So she gets her dad to let her go to Chicago and visit her grandmother and aunts. The 4 of them have different ideas about who Violet should marry. One for money, one for Jesus, one for love and one thinks she shouldn't marry at all. Also, Violet's dad and Maude want her to marry Herman. What will Violet do? Who is right? This story has suspense, love, lots of great wisdom and just a real enjoyable read.

The time is the late 1800's and twenty year old Violet Hayes is on a quest to experience romance and mystery just like the books her and her best friend Ruth snuck to read at Madame Beauchamps' School for girls. Yes she was taught to be a lady but she wants adventure. After finding out her father is about to remarry and that her mother really is alive not dead as her father had try to make her believe, Violet knows she must go to Chicago to find her mother, who she hasn't seen since she was nine, she convinces her father to let her go see the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and to visit her grandmother and her great aunts. But everyone else has their own plans for Violet. Her grandmother, father and Aunt Agnes are out to have her married. Her crazy Aunt Birdie tells her to marry for love and her Aunt Matt tells her she doesn't need to marry. Than all in one week she has three marriage proposals but the men all have their own ideas too and not one includes love. All the while Violet is falling in love with Silas the salesman she met on the train to Chicago who has really tried hard to help her find her mother. But Violet believes he is a thief and not a proper suitor. She allows the men to escort her to the fair and spends time with her grandmother helping the poor, Aunt Agnes takes her calling on all her high society friends and Aunt Matt teaches her about the Women's Suffragette Movement. Violet learns a lot but feels none of these lives is for her. She knows her time is running out as her father is making her go home and marry Herman Beckett unless she finds someone else but Violet knows she must find her mother! Her father has instructed her grandmother and aunts to tell her nothing about her mother but Violet finds herself in a mystery, the mystery of her mother and why she left, the truth about her father and the woman he is about to marry and Uncle Phillip which she didn't know she had an uncle and all the while trying to stop the feelings that are growing for Silas. Will Violet find her mother? Will she marry without love or have her heart broken by the thief Silas only time will tell as Violet finds God along the way and knows He has all the answers even if she isn't sure herself. "A Proper Pursuit" is an awesome read perfect for teens and adults alike who love romance, history and a little bit of mystery. The author Lynn Austin draws you in from the very first page and takes you back in time and places you there with Violet as she determines the course of her life and searches for her mother. This reviewer loved the detailed history especially Dwight Moody's ministry, the women's suffragette marches and the World's Fair as the time period really comes alive. So if love books like `Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell or "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers you will thoroughly enjoy "A Proper Pursuit".

Lynn Austin yet again produced an amazing book! I own every book she has written and have read them several times through. This book is no exception. I read it twice in the same week. I thought it was wonderfully written. The character development was very well done and I found myself incredibly disappointed when the book was over. I didn't want to leave the characters. I cannot wait for her next novel. I wish there were dozens more books by Lynn Austin to read. She is my favorite Christian Fiction writer.

A Proper Pursuit is the latest stand-alone novel by Lynn Austin and I must say it is one of her best. Its probably my favorite, next to Eve's Daughters. The novel it about 20 year old Violet Rose Hayes who has just graduated from a ladies school and has returned home to discover that her father is going to remarry. She also discovers that her mother, whom she thought was ill, actually abondoned her 11 years ago for Chicago because she felt tied down in their small town. And then there is Violet's boring suitor Herman Beckett. Violet travels to Chicago to find her mother and stop her father's marriage, making the excuse to see the 1893 World's Fair. Along the way there she meets so called elixir salesman Silas McClure. While in Chicago, her grandmother and 3 great-aunts each have their own agenda for her. Her Aunt Agnes takes her to high-society parties in hopes to find a wealthy husband. While there, she meets Nelson Kent, the son of a wealthy businesman. Her Aunt Matt is constantly giving her lectures about women rights and takes her on a march or two. Violet's grandmother takes her to meet Louis Decker, a minister in training. Here Violet sees poverty for the first time in her life. Finally, her Aunt Birdie is constantly reminding her to marry for love. Through the course of the summer, Violet not only discovers the world, but she also discovers herself and must determine what path and what man is the right choice for her. I really liked the character of Violet Hayes. The book is written in first person from her view so it was quite engaging and we could read what was going on in her thoughts. And were some of the thoughts extremely funny! I bursted out laughing from many of her comments. I liked how I could also relate to Violet since I am about the same age as her. I am 21 and was naive about the world before I went to college just as she was before she went to Chicago. I thought it hilarious each time Violet related a situation to a crime or a romance novel. I find that I let my imagination run wild as well at times because I enjoy mystery and romance novels the most as well. :) I also loved how Lynn Austin made the 1893's World Fair seem so real to me. It makes me wish that the Fair would occur near my home so I could visit it as well since it sounded so fascinating. The romance in the book was realistic and did not down-play Violet's true purpose. Her purpose in Chicago was not to find a husband (though its implied she does anyway). It is to find her mother and to find answers to the many mysteries that are introduced in the book. If you love Lynn Austin make sure to read this book! The book was 432 pages and I read through it quickly in 3 days because I could not put it down. I subscribe to Lynn Austin's newsletter and she says her next book will be about 3 immigrant sisters in New York. I am already looking forward to it. The only dreadful thing is that I have to wait a full year to read the book next fall.

This book was pleasant surprise to me - I always enjoy Lynn Austin's books, but none have topped my favorites list until now. This is, in my opinion, her best book to date and is officially in my top ten favorites. It's well written, the main character is funny and endearing and the story as a whole was very interesting. I didn't want to put it down. Highly recommend to anyone regardless of whether or not you loved her previous books.