An American Scandal
In 1895 Madeline Crosby finds herself shunned by New York society through no fault of her own. She tries to make a new start by moving with her half-brother Hugh to Newport, Rhode Island, where they get to know the wealthy ‘new money’ Booth family. Madeline becomes friendly with their son Edward, while Hugh develops an interest in their cousin Flora, who is treated as an unpaid drudge.
Meanwhile Madeline is determined to close the brothels in which her mother suffered and died, and for which she herself could once have been destined. A cause which causes problems when she learns the source of Edward’s family income.
As with the author’s previous book, A Matter of Persuasion, this novel is a homage to Jane Austen, in this case Mansfield Park. The parallels are there in the narrative, although there are some major differences, including the fact that the story is told from Madeline’s perspective rather than that of Flora (the Fanny Price equivalent). Strikingly, although the slave trade on which the wealth of Mansfield Park rests is only hinted at in that novel, Howes brings the brothels that finance the Booth family into centre stage, so that they become the crux of the story.
A lot is packed into this book: prostitution, marriage as a business transaction, domestic violence, and forbidden love. We hear how women of all classes are treated as ‘goods and chattels’, and how they are denied any role other than marriage.
I have to admit I was not fully convinced by all aspects of the story. And some of Flora’s views seem very advanced for the era (it seems even less likely that Edward would have agreed with her so readily). However, those quibbles aside, it was an enjoyable and interesting read.
