Impossible Saints

November 15, 2017

DEBUT This first novel is an engrossing historical romance set in 1907 England. Young and beautiful Lilia Brooke, a former village schoolmistress, goes to London, where her passion as a suffragette is at cross-purposes with her growing attraction to Anglican priest Paul Harris. Lilia is a New Woman: fiercely independent, intellectual, sexually open, and ardent about women's rights. She rises quickly in the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). Paul is far more reserved and conservative; he wants to become a dean in the church but his ambitions are increasingly at odds with his attraction to Lilia. The narrative alternates between Lilia and Paul's viewpoints as their evolving love forces them to dig deeper into the compromises they are willing to make. Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British suffragette movement, makes an appearance, and the demonstrations, hunger strikes, and forced feedings are vividly described. By 1928, all British women over 21 could vote; readers will root for Lilia and Paul's romance to have a similarly happy ending. VERDICT For lovers of romantic historical fiction from the Brontes to Tracy Chevalier (Girl with a Pearl Earring).--Elizabeth Safford, Boxford Town Lib., MA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 29, 2018
In this rich debut, Harwood questions whether two people following divergent paths can reconcile their beliefs, convictions, and societal obstructions to forge a life together. This concern haunts Lilia Brooke, who rejects her conservative upbringing to become a social progressive and leading advocate for the women’s vote in 1906 London. Paul Harris, her childhood friend, is an Anglican priest intent on becoming the youngest dean of a prominent cathedral. Reacquainted as adults, the two quickly develop romantic feelings for each other, but also realize the seemingly impossible task they would face in reconciling their differing worldviews and passions. When Lilia joins the militant wing of the suffragette movement, she puts her reputation and life at risk. Simultaneously, Paul’s ambitions and feelings for Lilia threaten to overwhelm his inner faith. As both careen toward self-destruction, they come together for a shared reckoning. Grounded in a wealth of research into the suffrage movement, the book will please readers who enjoy detailed historical recreations. With insight and sensitivity, Harwood explores century-old social mores and challenges that still echo loudly today.

November 1, 2017
In Edwardian England, Lilia Brooke comes from a traditional family, but she's the personification of the New Woman: she believes in free unions, contraception, and women having the right to vote. Paul Harris, an Anglican priest, believes in judiciously working his way up the ladder to the deanship of St. John's Cathedral. The two have known each other since childhood, and when they are reintroduced, the attraction is both intellectual and physical. But can they overcome the obstacles of occupational, societal, and personal expectations? Harwood has framed this slow-burning, opposites-attract love story against the historical backdrop of the women's suffrage movement. The perspective is refreshing in that the church is not the villain, nor are all the suffragettes cardboard cutouts. One interesting aspect is the novel's exploration of the contrast in ideologies between the more conservative, peaceful suffrage groups (such as the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies) and the militant, property-destroying Women's Social and Political Union. This parallels the spectrum in today's protest-heavy atmosphere, lending the novel contemporary social relevance in addition to its romantic plotline.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)