These are readers’ own words, taken from Goodreads and Amazon and quoted with permission, or briefly excerpted from reviews published publicly. I’ve grouped them by what readers keep coming back to rather than by book, and trimmed some for length. Every review links to where it was first posted.
Five readers, independently, reached for almost the same phrase.
Daring to want more. This first book in the trilogy really brought home to me the difficulties young women faced in breaking the mould parents and families expected them to fit into, and daring to want “more than a hope chest and a husband.” Lucie Santoro’s graduation speech shouted defiantly and loudly into expected silence… Smashing story about daring to want more.
Cat M. on Book One — Goodreads
I love reading historical fiction, but this one hit home much harder than many I have read. I could feel the angst and the conflict in Lucie as she struggles with tradition and wanting more… This is the most heartwrenching story I’ve read in quite some time, and I just knew that whatever decisions she came to in her life, there would be heartache and loss involved, and yet, I couldn’t put it down.
Constance M. on Book One — Goodreads
Lucie is a progressive young woman who wants more to life than the constricts of family and society expectations that define every woman at the beginning of the 20th century in the Italian community of East Harlem… The way that the book is written makes you feel part of the story, like you are living Lucie’s life along with her, her desires, struggles, pain, ambition and love.
Vivian on Book One — Goodreads
I really liked how believable Lucie’s struggle felt, especially the tension between wanting to honor her family and wanting to make decisions about her own future… I rooted for Lucie the whole way through.
EP on Book One — Amazon, verified purchase
Oh gosh! I did feel for Lucie, an 18 year old woman who was desperate to become a teacher. Importantly, she would have made a very good teacher, encouraging her pupils to think for themselves. However, her family had her future mapped out, without consulting Lucie at all. It was all described in detail, along with neighbours spying and gossiping. The world may have been changing around them but they still stuck to their traditions. Little wonder Lucie wanted to experience some freedom. This is book 1 of the trilogy and tells of what came of Lucie’s desires to be free to choose.
Cheryl on Book One — Amazon
The cost of wanting more. After the awareness and fight for the right to choose in Book One, Book Two didn’t disappoint in showing the cost young girls paid to following their own dreams. This book was about the reckoning and was sharper, sadder, and somehow braver than book one. It left me with feelings of frustration at the ties that bound young women, and in awe of the risks they were prepared to take to break them.
Cat M. on Book Two — Goodreads
Young women like Lucie are just trying to sort out how to find their way in a growing America, while still feeling the pull and confines of their family expectations. Family name and reputation is huge… Again, I got so emotionally invested in this story, that it became very important to me to find out what happened.
Constance M. on Book Two — Goodreads
There was so much happening in this book, I couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out. I had so many different emotions when reading this book. I was angry and frustrated by Lucie’s parents. They were so certain that the wedding was the best outcome for Lucie but took no notice of her feelings. Surely they could see she was unhappy and desperately wanted to be a teacher. Then there was all the pressure of the family’s reputation in the community. I wasn’t surprised that in a close knit community that people were so quick to judge but without knowing all the facts.
Cheryl on Book Two — Amazon
Sherilyn Decter has the ability to portray real history with fictional characters and make it a brilliant book… The depth of research comes through without overwhelming the story.
Sylvia Collins on Book One — Goodreads
One of the aspects I found especially compelling was the contrast between life inside a traditional Italian home and the dazzling world of Times Square. At home, family, culture, and tradition shape every decision, while just beyond the front door, New York pulses with opportunity, excitement, and the promise of a very different future… The writing is engaging and evocative, making 1919 New York feel wonderfully alive.
Jeanne Millis on Book One — Goodreads
The most important things to the community were family, church and reputation… The world may have been changing around them but they still stuck to their traditions. Little wonder Lucie wanted to experience some freedom.
Cheryl on Book One — Goodreads
Feels like you are a part of the story the way it’s written.
Legacy earned. This final chapter in the trilogy was fierce and pioneering. It depicted how success was earned not given… a thoroughly satisfying end to a brilliant story that weaves fiction with facts. I simply had to know where Lucie would end up. Highly recommend.
Cat M. on Book Three — Goodreads
This is a difficult story to read, as one can see so many similarities through the years, up to the present time… Oh, I wanted so desperately for certain situations to have ended differently. That is the beauty of this writing. It doesn’t have to have a cheerful ending to be impactful and insightful. The author has done the hard work of research combined with the insertion of characters to bring out the facts without making it into simply a dry, flat narrative.
Constance M. on Book Three — Goodreads
Reviews are quoted with their authors’ permission, or excerpted briefly from reviews already published publicly and linked to the original. If you’ve reviewed one of my books and would rather I didn’t quote you here, write to me and I’ll take it down the same day.