About the book:
Chattanooga society is turned upside down as a young woman has the audacity to ride a bicycle-in bloomers!
It's
1895. Anna Gaines, 19, struggles to conquer her insecurities after a
horrible fall years ago from her beloved horse, Longstreet. On a visit
with her aunt in Brooklyn, she's drawn to the new pastime of bicycling.
But back at home, cycling is a scandalous sport for a proper lady.
Southern women did not engage in activities meant for men.
Anna
has her eye on Peter Sawyer, president of the Cycling Club. As community
outrage grows, an unexpected turn of events pits Anna against Peter in a
race between the sexes.
Will
Anna prove that women deserve the same right as men to ride "the wheel?"
Will she choose to live a quiet, traditional life of a housewife and
mother? Or will she pursue college and become one of the "new women"
emerging into the twentieth century on the seat of a bicycle? What will
become of the spark between Anna and Peter?
Faith, patience, and courage help Anna to become the person she was meant to be.
My review:
This was an interesting book about a subject I wasn't that familiar with. I had no idea that women riding a bicycle was such a big problem for so many people in the 1800's. It made me have more of an appreciation for women who've stood up to criticism and worse as they fought for women's rights. Anna was actually in a sort of love triangle as she was dating a different man through most of the story. Peter was interested, but didn't really talk to her much, so later it seemed like more was made of a relationship than there actually was. I was actually a little frustrated with Peter for not explaining some situations to Anna throughout the story. I was also frustrated with Anna for automatically believing things about him or situations without having any facts to back them up. I liked a sub-plot about an African-American woman Anna meets who's sick and needs help with her three children and with finding out what happened to her husband after he left to find work two years ago. It was interesting as Peter got involved and what they ultimately discovered. Hattie had some very good advice about choosing who or what you're going to worship, whether it's God or other people's approval. A couple things did bother me. There was an instance of using God's name loosely and a mention of a man telling "white lies" as a boy with no mention of a lie being a lie and always wrong. I also thought there wasn't much justice for the criminals at the end of the story. There was a little bit of romance and some good spiritual thoughts in the book. Overall, if you like historical fiction, you might like this story.
I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
About the author:
Mike Mizrahi has
a master's degree in public relations, advertising and applied
communication from Boston University. After a career in corporate public
affairs, he retired to pursue a deep passion: writing.
Mizrahi and
his wife, Karen, led a mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo
four years ago and were so moved by the experience, Mizrahi wrote his
first novel, which he hopes will one day be published. The Great
Chattanooga Bicycle Race is his debut published work.
Mizrahi
loves reading and writing stories about "sozo," which means to be
rescued in Greek. He and Karen are very active in their church and
community and love to hike, travel and go the movies together. The
Mizrahis live in Woodland Hills, California, where they raised their
children who are now adults.
Learn more about The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race and Mike H. Mizrahi at www.mikehmizrahi.com or on Facebook (AuthorMikeMizrahi) and Twitter (@MikeHMiz).
Celebrate the release of Mike's new book by entering to win his $75 Amazon gift card giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race
- A $75 Amazon gift card
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