The Davenports (Davenports #1) Krystal Marquis. 2023. 384 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Olivia Elise Davenport pulled a bolt of vibrant yellow silk from the display and held it to her dark complexion. She was drawn to the bright fabric nearly hidden behind the muted pastels, a shock of sunshine peeking through the clouds, and wondered if it was too bright for so early in the season. In her free hand, she held a sample of beaded lace and tried to imagine the sound it would make whispering around her ankles while she danced. There will be a lot of dancing, she thought.
Premise/plot: Set circa 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, The Davenports is an historical soap opera for young adults [and adults]. The Davenports are a socially elite, wealthy Black family. Mr. Davenport is a successful business man [carriage company]. They are the Somebodies of the [black] community. This soap opera features three Davenport siblings--Olivia (the oldest daughter), John (the only son), and Helen (the youngest daughter). Olivia is 'on the market' if you will. Her parents want her to make a great match. To find someone equally well-thought-of [admired, respected, successful]. The novel opens with Olivia and her best friend, Ruby shopping. John wants to go beyond mere carriages and get into the automobile business. He doesn't reject the family business necessarily, but, he wants to take it in a new direction, expand upon it. The family assumes that Ruby and John will eventually make a match of it. But John, well, he's been noticing the maid, Amy-Rose. Helen, the youngest, I believe, is closest to John. The two of them really like automobiles and mechanics. Her parents frown her doing anything with mechanics or the family business really. She should be preparing herself for the marriage market. True, it isn't quite her turn in the spotlight, but she really should be mindful of her reputation, of her manners, of her appearance. Helen's practical, no-nonsense manner make her a good companion. Certainly Jacob Lawrence [Laurence???] thinks so. He's supposedly courting/wooing her older sister, Olivia. But. Helen and Jacob are drawn together. While Olivia is drawn to someone her parents do not at all approve of--an activist lawyer of a lower social standing, Washington DeWright. Ruby, her best friend, can relate. While her parents are pushing, pushing, pushing for her to get with John Davenport, she falls in love with someone she's "pretending" to court to make John jealous. (I don't remember his first name, but his last name is Barton). Her feelings turn all-too-real. John, meanwhile, is pursuing the maid, Amy-Rose, who has dreams of her own. She is head-over-heels in love with her employers' son, but, she also has more realistic 'impossible' dreams of opening up her own hair salon for black women. Many of the romances in this one have conflicts--obvious ones--which will require courage and boldness to defy expectations.
My thoughts: I'm not sure if the intended audience--actual preteens and teens--will see the similarities between this one and LUXE by Anna Godbersen. The first Luxe novel released in 2007. [Many teens wouldn't have even been born yet. Some would have been mere babies.] Luxe features white characters in Manhattan circa 1899. Davenports feature a mostly-if-not-exclusively black cast of characters in Chicago in 1910. So there are certainly some differences. And not just surface-differences. The Davenports does address heavier issues, mainly in regards to race, race expectations, how to best 'serve the race,' 'represent the race,' 'raise the race,' etc.
The Davenports is a soap opera. It is what it is. It isn't 100% fluff. That's not what I'm implying. Nor am I suggesting that the characterization is weak. It just follows a predictable formula in regards to how the drama [or melodrama] unfolds.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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