The Davenports by Krystal Marquis [Book #1]

Content Tags: Historical Fiction, Romance

Description from Storygraph:
The year is 1910. The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in the United States, their fortune made through the hard work and entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now, the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties. This is the story of the Davenport daughters, their maid, and their best friend--Olivia, Helen, Amy-Rose, and Ruby--as the four find their way, and unexpectedly find love, in a rapidly changing country. Inspired by the real-life story of the C.R. Patterson dynasty, The Davenports offers a glimpse into a period of African-American history often overlooked, while delivering a totally escapist, swoon-worthy read.

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I was very excited to read this for Book Club - we've had some excellent Historical Fiction/Fantasy reads and this seemed like another one to add to the list! Unfortunately, this book was lacking in many ways. There were still some exciting, touching, and meaningful moments, but it really could have done with a bit more fine tuning and editing to hone in the focus, plot, and flow of everything.

There were some sections I was rushing to get through because they felt like filler and somewhat unimportant or impactful. There was a lot of information given towards the beginning of the book as well that made some of the "revelations" later in the book very anti-climactic. 


Book Reflection Wrap-up:
What are your thoughts on the book's structure? Did it serve the story well?
In general, I love a good POV book, but in this case it felt like to many moving pieces trying to include so much about so many people in one book. The focus was intended to be the four women, but there was a lot of time spent explaining about the characters supporting their roles and taking time away from focusing on the main stories.

Would you want to read another book by this author?
I will still probably read the second book eventually. Overall, I didn't dislike this book and I didn't DNF it, but it's not high up on my lists of books I'll remember. Maybe book two will be better!

October Book Club Book
Finished 10/25/2023

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