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Fixed on Fiction

What the Lady Wants

On Thursday, July 9th, the Fixed on Fiction book group met to discuss What the Lady Wants: a novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age by Renee Rosen. Below is a summary of the novel courtesy of Goodreads:

In late-nineteenth-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto: “Give the lady what she wants.” His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.  
The night of the Great Fire, as seventeen-year-old Delia watches the flames rise and consume what was the pioneer town of Chicago, she can’t imagine how much her life, her city, and her whole world are about to change. Nor can she guess that the agent of that change will not simply be the fire, but more so the man she meets that night.…Leading the way in rebuilding after the fire, Marshall Field reopens his well-known dry goods store and transforms it into something the world has never seen before: a glamorous palace of a department store. He and his powerhouse coterie—including Potter Palmer and George Pullman—usher in the age of robber barons, the American royalty of their generation. But behind the opulence, their private lives are riddled with scandal and heartbreak. Delia and Marshall first turn to each other out of loneliness, but as their love deepens, they will stand together despite disgrace and ostracism, through an age of devastation and opportunity, when an adolescent Chicago is transformed into the gleaming White City of the Chicago’s World’s Fair of 1893.

Unfortunately, What the Lady Wants wasn’t very well received by our group. When asked for a thumbs up/so-so/thumbs down rating, we ended up with seven thumbs down votes, two so-so, and one thumbs up. Here are some of the initial comments readers shared when explaining their votes-

  • It read like a history lesson.
  • Soapy, boring, and I didn’t take anything away from it.
  • A nice beach read. It was interesting to read about Chicago.
  • Very slow. I thought it would be more like Devil in the White City.
  • The beginning was interesting but then it trailed off.
  • I thought the part about Selfridges was interesting. But otherwise it dragged. I already knew most of the Chicago history mentioned. I was disappointed in the people- they were sleazes with money! I was hoping this would be more like Karen Abbott.
  • I thought the writing style was horrible- awkward and juvenile. I was also annoyed with Delia she was too self-involved, too “poor me.” What a terrible main character.
  • I enjoyed the history but disliked the characters.
  • I only got to page 58. I thought the writing style was condescending and soapy.
  • I didn’t care for it more than I cared for it. I was interested in the fact that homosexuality wasn’t openly discussed during that time. I was also fascinated with the idea of the rumored tunnel between Delia’s house and Marshall’s.

On Delia-

  • I was annoyed that Delia was so honored to be in Marshall’s presence.
  • I think she fell in love with him because she was in awe of his position- he was a very powerful man.
  • Marshall treated her like an individual and that made her feel important.
  • I still don’t understand why she didn’t tell Marsh that Nannie pushed her down the stairs!
  • After 4 years of courtship before their marriage, wouldn’t Delia suspect that Arthur wasn’t attracted to her?
  • Dell makes herself a victim in the novel, but really she’s a pushover.

On the affair-

  • I think she (Rosen) tried to make the affair this epic romance but it was actually just sleazy.
  • Marsh came out looking rather sleazy in this book- I wonder how the Field family feels about that?

On the department store-

  • There is no true department store anymore.
  • Nordstrom’s is very customer-focused, but people don’t take the time to go have that sort of shopping experience anymore.
  • We spent a few moments sharing our own Marshall Field’s stories and traditions, including the holiday windows, Frango mints, etc.

These were just a few highlights from our discussion. Please feel free to add additional thoughts on What the Lady Wants in the comments section below!

 

 

 

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