Forbidden Woman

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Sep 05 2020 | Archive Date Dec 27 2020

Talking about this book? Use #ForbiddenWoman #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

◆ WARNING: See content notice below. ◆

Lucille learns the hard way that she can't trust men. Her missing husband and the San Antonio chief of police are proof of that. But the Great Depression insists that she needs a man - or the open wallets of many men - to build her Texas empire and raise the daughter she wishes she didn't have. 

Rosemary is that daughter, and she wants her mother’s approval more than anything. She’s even willing to say goodbye to the love of her life in favor of a man who has a steady job and serves his country honorably. And yet her mother still doesn't approve. 

Helen had once dreamed of enlisting as a nurse in the Army, but the military had already reached its quota for Negro women when she had completed her training. Now, she works in the one square block of San Antonio that doesn’t segregate her from any of the other girls, and her dream has been reduced to finding peace in a world at war. 

But when Lucille is nearly killed by an angry soldier returning from the war, she must face the prospect of losing the fortune she spent a lifetime building and sending Helen and the other girls to the streets. Rosemary tries to send Lucille a message of love, while Helen prods Lucille to take a stand for the American Dream, but is it enough? Lucille wonders if she was meant for something more than a life of separating men from their coin. She might be wrong, but if she changes nothing in her life, she will change nothing in the world. 

Forbidden Woman is Blair’s debut novel and the first in a trilogy and family saga spanning four generations of this South Texas family. Blair's story will capture fans of literary historical fiction, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  

Running Bull is scheduled for release in 2021, and A Warhorse Fallen is scheduled for release in 2022.

◆ WARNING: See content notice below. ◆

Lucille learns the hard way that she can't trust men. Her missing husband and the San Antonio chief of police are proof of that. But the Great...


A Note From the Publisher

◆ Content Notice ◆

The author has gone to great lengths to present this story in an historically accurate fashion, right down to the going rate for a woman's time in any given year. A sad result of historical accuracy, however, is that certain uncivilized words are used in this book, because it is set in South Texas in the mid-twentieth century. This was an era when even Federal and Texas state laws did not hesitate to share their true intent: keep women and people of color out of power. The author has chosen to maintain those words, rather than paint over an ugly part of American history, to demonstrate just how far we’ve (not) come in the last eighty years.

◆ Content Notice ◆

The author has gone to great lengths to present this story in an historically accurate fashion, right down to the going rate for a woman's time in any given year...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781734577938
PRICE $2.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)

Average rating from 7 members


Featured Reviews

this was a great start to a series, the characters were great and it really took you on a journey. i look forward to reading the sequels and more from the author.

Was this review helpful?

Intermingling different stories of strong women, forbidden women is the story of struggle, survival, living, and relationships. This story looks simple at the beginning but as it takes shape in a darn background it tethers the reader to its characters.

The story begins with the life of Lucille, a single mother of rosemary. She works as a sex worker for a living, in an environment of the malady. Despite her work, she has a responsibility to raise her daughter & also secure a promising future. But things do not work according to her way & she feels trapped between such moments when she has to take some decisions which affect others as well as her life also. Despite her personal life, there is an eerie environment of WW2 also. So her story is also connected to that situation. Many women are appointed to serve the war-wounded soldiers but when their profession strikes on her selfless service it seems like there is a need to change something.

The book perfectly portrays the present and post-war situation and how it affects the generation psychologically. The main theme in which Lucille’s character is portrayed is prostitution. It's not her choice but she has to face that. It is dangerous for her like there are such bustards and diseases involved in this work but she displays how someone survives in such a place.
The main plausible characteristic of this book is its strong women characters. They are perfect, representing different generations and life situations.

There are a lot of heart wrenching & tearful scenes. Moreover, the story reveals the racist structure in prostitution also. One point I want to clarify that it’s not based on prostitution; it is only a part of the story which needs attention. In many places, it seems so realistic.

Thanks, #netgalley for providing such beautiful work for #review

Was this review helpful?

This was something different for me, however I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was easy to read, the plot was easy to follow and I found myself invested in the story.

Was this review helpful?

This book, based on women s opportunities in life, is a mesmerizing read. I could not put it down. I spent the entire day reading and I have thought of nothing else since finishing. The main character is Lucille, a prostitute, who is also a mother and a business woman. This give a very realistic look on what this type of life is like. There are many heartwrenching situations. It touches on rape, violence abortion and death so there may be triggers for some readers. The story is well written and the first book in a trilogy. I am anxiously awaiting the second book to be available.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this incredible book for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Lucille learns the hard way that she can't trust men. Her missing husband and the San Antonio chief of police are proof of that. But the Great Depression insists that she needs a man - or the open wallets of many men - to build her Texas empire and raise the daughter she wishes she didn't have. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I absolutely loved reading this book.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: