Grace is seventeen and still unmarried, and for a girl from the country, that's socially unacceptable. When her parents try to force her hand, she flees and rejoins her brother and his wife. She finds a new life and a first real love. But the past will catch up with her... AUTHOR'S NOTE "The Appalachians, Jane Eyre, and The Jazz Age..". This is a work of fiction. However, it was inspired by true events, and many of the characters are based on real people. But there were other things that inspired this story. This is not a ...
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Grace is seventeen and still unmarried, and for a girl from the country, that's socially unacceptable. When her parents try to force her hand, she flees and rejoins her brother and his wife. She finds a new life and a first real love. But the past will catch up with her... AUTHOR'S NOTE "The Appalachians, Jane Eyre, and The Jazz Age..". This is a work of fiction. However, it was inspired by true events, and many of the characters are based on real people. But there were other things that inspired this story. This is not a Christian romance. But because of its setting, there is a good deal of spirituality entwined in the story, and not all of it is shown in a positive light. The Appalachians stretch along a line of eastern North America, from Canada to the southern United States, and within its mountains are cultures and religions of numerous varieties. Spirituality is a deeply important part of life in Appalachia - and sometimes, it verges on the extreme. I say this as a member of a family with roots that are based firmly in this particular culture. Their values are sometimes at odds with my own, but I respect their right to express their ideals as they see fit. "Jane Eyre" is an English gothic novel, written in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte. For a certain portion of the female population, myself included, this book holds a place in the heart like no other. The great power of this novel has been the source of endless debate, but for some of us, this book is an important part of our lives. You will find quotations from the novel throughout this book, and I'm sure many Jane Eyre fans will find a familiar connection with passages they know and love. For those who have not read it, I would highly recommend this literary classic. As a history lover, I must say that the Jazz Age (1919-1929) is my favorite part of history to read about. It was, in essence, the beginning of our modern era. So many things that we take for granted today were born in the 1920's. The political and social changes of the time were unlike anything that had come before. Perhaps the most influential movement of the time...and arguably, the greatest blunder...was Prohibition. This amendment to the U.S. Constitution, intended to bring about a new morality, instead brought about one of the wildest decades in American history. Gone were the buttoned-up, prim and proper days of Victorian times. In was the era of the bootlegger, the gangster, and perhaps the most iconic symbol of the day...the flapper. This modern woman lived like no other before her. She was allowed the vote, among other newfound freedoms. Many a single young lady was finding her independence by joining the workforce and living on her own. For the first time, young women were dating without the need for a chaperone. They joined their partners at parties and clubs, free from strict morality and the "Male Only" establishments of the Victorian era. Women were literally tossing away their corsets, freeing themselves from the shackles of old. It was a time of great change, and women were taking full advantage of it. There were other changes as well, some as radical as they were practical. Radio was a new phenomenon, changing the way the public both communicated and entertained itself. Automobiles had existed before, but now they were affordable for the common man, thanks to Henry Ford and his production lines. The first electric home-refrigerators came about in 1922, and in 1925, Toastmaster introduced the first pop-up toaster. Perhaps one of the greatest innovations of the 1920's was the talking picture. In 1927, when Al Jolson broke the silence of the silver screen to declare, "You ain't heard nothin' yet," the motion picture industry...and for better or worse, our culture...was changed forever. In this story, you will find a blending of all these things I have mentioned here, and I hope it is a story you will enjoy. Happy reading!
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