On Account of Conspicuous Women by Dawn Shamp

     When North Carolina authors Lee Smith, Pamela Duncan, and Jill McCorkle praise a novel, it's time  to take a look at it!

     This novel, set in Roxboro, North Carolina in 1920, depicts small-town life in that era. The author did research in a number of places, including Duke and UNC, and also relied upon family lore, including the story of her "Grimma Lizzie," who, like one of the main characters, was "a free spirit, hello girl, and peanut vendor."

     Four young women are the main characters. Bertie is a hello girl (telephone operator) who, in addition to her more usual duties, calls ladies to remind them that their cakes are ready to come out of the oven. She becomes the first woman in the county to own a Model T, using her ingenuity to raise the money for it. Also, Bertie is a strong supporter of woman suffrage; when women win the vote but African American women are still turned away from the polls, Bertie changes her focus to equal rights for all.

     Guerine's chief interests are cooking, entertaining, dreaming of getting the engagement ring she's admiring, and looking at herself in the mirror. She has her hair cut short, which is a daring act in her place and time.

     Doodle is a farmer's daughter. She sticks closely to her tasks on the farm but dreams of writing screenplays and possibly even finding love.

     Ina is a young widow who comes to the community to teach in the one-room schoolhouse. She finds professional challenges and the possibility of a second marriage.

     As might be expected in a book about young women, the story line includes romance, but it also includes shocking revelations about the parents of some of the girls. Lee Smith says that "Dawn Shamp is a major talent," and Pamela Duncan speaks of her "refreshingly lively language." I think you'll agree with both of them!

(Helen Snow, Information Services)