Showing posts with label Gilded Age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gilded Age. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

An Important Moment in History - Donna Russo Morin's Gilded Dreams #Review


As our country continues to fight for equality and equal justice for all people, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, a book like this serves as a beacon of hope of what could be. 

The characters I so loved in Gilded Summers come to life with even more purpose in Gilded Dreams. This time it's not just a fight for their own individuality. It's a fight for all women to have a say in the laws of the land, and those who make them, by earning the right to vote. It was a long, hard fight...one which Pearl and Ginevra joined close to the culmination of its victory, but no less hard fought by these two extraordinary and strong women. 

The incorporation of the historical figures and events which occurred during the long fight for women's suffrage made this novel a riveting read. The tragedy within, the sad aftermath of the Titanic disaster, the terrible reality of the Great War, the Night of Terror, all brought a sense of poignancy to the story as each touched the lives of the characters. 

This sequel was meant to be written. I hope women, and men, will read this book to honor the hard work of our forebears. Only through the continued interest of artists who choose to depict these important historical events will they ever remain a reminder of what was fought for and won. I, for one, am honored to be a woman who is allowed to vote because of these women who went before, and on August 18, 2020, I will proudly wear the gold, white, and purple colors.

Gilded Dreams was released today. 
Available at Amazon and all major and independent bookstores. 

About the book
From the bestselling author of GILDED SUMMERS comes a powerful novel of the last eight years of the American Women’s fight for suffrage .

The battle for the vote is on fire in America. The powerful and rich women of Newport, Rhode Island, are not only some of the most involved suffragettes, their wealth - especially that of the indomitable Alva Vanderbilt Belmont - nearly single-handedly funded the major suffrage parties. Yet they have been left out of history, tossed aside as mere socialites. In GILDED DREAMS, they reclaim their rightful place in history.

Pearl and Ginevra (GILDED SUMMERS) are two of its most ardent warriors. College graduates, professional women, wives, and mothers, these progressive women have fought their way through some of life’s harshest challenges, yet they survived, yet they thrive. Now they set their sights on the vote, the epitome of all they have struggled for, the embodiment of their dreams.

From the sinking of the Titanic, through World War 1, Pearl and Ginevra are once more put to the test as they fight against politics, outdated beliefs, and the most cutting opponent of all... other women. Yet they will not rest until their voices are heard until they - and all the women of America - are allowed to cast their vote. But to gain it, they must overcome yet more obstacles, some that put their very lives in danger.

An emotional and empowering journey, GILDED DREAMS is a historical, action-packed love letter to the women who fought so hard for all women who stand on the shoulders of their triumph.

From the Author
I wrote this book with the distinct intent to publish it in the year thatmarks the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gaveAmerican women the right to vote. I wrote it with the hope that come August 18, 2020, every American woman will celebrate it as aday of great achievement in women’s history…in American history.The suffragettes suffered for their right to vote, do not waste yours."

About the Author
Donna Russo Morin was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Her writing endeavors began at age six and covered such timely topics as The Pink Pussy Cat for President and The Numbers 2 and 4 are in Love.

Traveling through adolescence on the wings of the ‘60s gave Donna a lot of grist for her writing mill. Feminism, civil rights, the Vietnam War were all a disturbing yet highly motivating muse. Donna found her voice in fiction and with the appearance of a new horror writer on the book scene, a little known author named Stephen King, she turned her pen to the gruesome and the grotesque.

After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, Donna worked in marketing and advertising for large corporations and small non-profit arts organizations. When she had her children, she knew with a certainty that she needed to show them, by example, that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible.

Donna's professional acumen has once more expanded and she is now an Acquisitions Editor for Next Chapter Books.

With the growing popularity of Donna's paintings, she will hold her first exhibit of oil and acrylic paintings in June of 2020 and will soon launch a website dedicated to her work where originals and fine art prints may be purchased.

In addition to writing and teaching writing (in the classroom and online, Donna is a professional author consultant/editor with more than thirty years of experience. She's also worked as a model and actor since the age of seventeen when she did her first television commercial for Sears. Since then she has appeared in more than thirty television spots and print ads, everything from changing the oil in her car (that was acting) to modeling fur coats. She also appeared in three episodes of Showtime’s THE BROTHERHOOD, as well as in Martin Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED. She is currently at work blending her two careers and is now writing for the screen as well.

Donna lives peacefully, close to the beautiful shoreline of Rhode Island that she loves so much. Her two sons--Devon, an opera singer and Dylan, a trained chef--will always be her greatest works.

Visit her website at www.donnarussomorin.com,
Friend her at http://www.facebook.com/Donna.Russo.Morin, and follow her on Twitter at @DonnaRussoMorin.


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Friday, July 6, 2018

Donna Russo Morin's Gilded Summers - #Review


My thoughts
I love historical fiction because it speaks of bygone eras and social norms we find unfathomable today. Gilded Summers perfectly illustrates the lives of women in the 19th century and how little rights they had at the time. Even more enlightening is the idea that women of privilege had even fewer rights because of the strict social constraints of their set.

Pearl, born into a life of privilege, and a card carrying member of the Newport elite, does the unthinkable by befriending her lady's maid. Pearl and Ginevra become fast friends, as they both share dreams of a different life from what they are destined for, and what is expected.  Pearl soon learns of the scandal and undesirable behavior behind the scenes of the privileged set. Ginevra learns that a kind word or gesture from those in high society often leads to much more menacing behavior underneath. These revelations culminate in a shocking denouement.

I have long been a fan of this author. She knows how to vibrantly tell a historical story while still staying true to the historical side of things. Her passion for the Newport area shines through in her words. Gilded Summers is an insightful glimpse into an age and place where women, even women of power, were merely objects and ornamentation. It is also an inspiring story of two women who chose to buck convention and live lives of their choosing; women who pioneered the way for the women of future generations.


GILDED SUMMERS:
A Novel of Newport’s Gilded Age


Pearl and Ginevra grow up in the era known as the Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island. One lives above the stairs, the other below.

Surrounded by Astors and Vanderbilts, Pearl fills her days with teatime and shallow friendships, yearning for something more. A chance meeting with Mary Cassatt sparks her secret desire to be an artist. Meanwhile Ginevra, fresh off the boat from Italy, finds her own dreams out of reach as she joins the unwelcoming household as a servant and seamstress.

Kindred souls, the girls become fast friends but must keep their friendship hidden from Pearl’s controlling mother. Every summer, they meet in a hidden spot beneath the weeping beeches to talk of art and life, and their struggles to break the barriers of their lives.

Soon, the two young women must decide who they want to be in this world, and survive what it takes to get there…even if it includes murder.

"Gilded Summers by Donna Russo Morin is a lush and evocative novel of the distinctive period known as Newport’s Gilded Age, a period brought vibrantly to life in this powerful work. Ginevra and Pearl, unique in their own way yet equally sympathetic, are captivating from the start and never let go. The passages and chapters are exquisitely and uniquely intertwined, like the young lives of its characters, sewn seamlessly with the mounting mystery and suspense. Vivid descriptions evoke the setting and period with such mastery, one feels like a ‘fly on the wall,’ living there with these young women who are so well crafted and developed. A genuine ‘can’t put it down’ novel, a triumph by a masterful writer!"
-Anne Girard (Diane Haegar) author of Madame Picasso

"A wonderful peek at the Gilded Age of Newport, RI, filled with the Astors and Vanderbilts and a bit of mystery. 4 Stars!"
-Barbara Khan, Baer Books Blog

AVAILABLE NOW in print, ebook, and audio formats.


About the author
Donna Russo Morin is an award-winning historical fiction author. Donna has dabbled as a model and actor, working on Showtime's Brotherhood and Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Branching out with her storytelling skills, Donna is now a screenwriter. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Donna lives on the south shore of Rhode Island close to the ocean she loves so very much. She is the proud mother of two sons, Devon and Dylan, her greatest works in progress.

Visit her website at www.donnarussomorin.com
Friend her at http://www.facebook.com/Donna.Russo.Morin, and follow her on Twitter at @DonnaRussoMorin.



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