An Unlikely Suitor: A Novel by Nancy Moser

          This book caught my attention on the library shelf for months. I kept picking it up, reading the back, and returning it to the shelf. It interested me, and I wanted to read the book, but I was never quite in the right mood. There was something that made me believe the story would end up sad and dreary. Finally I brought the book home. Not only was it not sad and dreary, but I had a hard time putting the book down.
           Lucy is a New York dressmaker. Her father has died and she has taken on the responsibility of making sure her mother and teenage sister are okay. As a former sweatshop worker, Lucy knows the dress shop she works in is a better situation for her and her family. Despite this knowledge, Lucy cannot resist putting forth her unsolicited ideas for the wardrobe of a handicapped young society woman. The shop mistress is not happy with Lucy, but the young woman, Rowena, is thrilled. Working on the wardrobe, Lucy and Rowena become fast friends.
          When it comes time for Rowena to leave for Newport, Rhode Island, she wants Lucy to come along. She feels close to Lucy, unlike with those of society, and will miss Lucy while she is away. Rowena’s mother flatly refuses. She believes strongly in the social classes not mixing and believes it would be inappropriate for Lucy to be a guest. Rowena, however, is determined. She figures out how to get Lucy to Newport, even getting Lucy a first class ticket on the train. What Rowena does not realize is the complications for Lucy she is creating. The servants resent Lucy and her special treatment and she is not welcome with those of Rowena’s class. On top of it, Lucy is worried about her family at home who is being targeted by the bookkeeper Lucy got fired for theft.
           With so much time alone, Lucy takes to going for walks. During one of these walks she falls and is saved by a man she names Dante. Once safe, there is an immediate connection between them. They want to see each other, but circumstances make their time together limited. After Lucy’s mother and sister arrive to help create costumes, finding time together is even trickier. Despite the challenges, things go fairly smoothly for the couple and their relationship grows. Then Lucy discovers who Dante really is. 

          There are so many intertwining characters in this book, which is part of what I liked about it so much. One character I absolutely adored was Mr. Standish. He is the owner of the dress shop and apartment where Lucy and her family work and live. He is a really good man. In the time period this book was set in, having a man care so much about his employees and tenants was probably rare. Another character nearly made me not finish the book. Lucy’s sister Sofia is so bratty I had to jump ahead to see if she got any better. If she had not, I would have stopped reading and returned the book to the library. Not to spoil anything, but since I did finish, I am sure you can figure out what happened. A book about the levels of society, I found it really interesting how the different characters thought about it. There were a lot of situations that put their beliefs to the test. Despite these difficulties, I was happy to see that from the start the characters stood up for what they believed in and followed their own paths.