LEE, Stacey : The downstairs girl

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.

 

 

I don't remember how this book landed on my e-reader, but I enjoyed reading it. This is not the kind of novel that will remain forever engraved in my memory, but I honestly liked it very much. I loved Jo even if I felt some kind of distance toward her, I loved her story, how she did the best she could but mostly, I appreciated reading about 19th century history from "the other side of the fence" - or rather, the basement. So many novels were written by white people about white people that it's good to have another point of view.

Mostly, what attracted me was Jo's love for words, her own play on words, her wit and how determined she was to aim for a better life.

An enjoyable read.