This is the first of two books, at least so far, about a wealthy young woman trying to become a reporter in New York City right as the US is deciding to enter WWI. I said “at least so far” because these are described as a “series”, and I think you need more than two for that. I hope there are more! The protagonist, Capability “Kitty” Weeks, has been educated in a boarding school in Europe, and as a young adult, is joining her self-made father in New York City. She decides to try to get a job partially because she wants something to do besides plan what the cook is going to prepare for dinner. Which is officially her duty, since her mother died when she was an infant. She lands a job as the assistant in the Ladies Page section. She at least gets a glimpse of the all-male newsroom when a guest is murdered at a Society picnic she is covering. I guess I should note that this is a murder mystery!
The author does a good job of describing the world of 1917, at least the world of a wealthy, although not socially well-connected, woman living in NYC. Kitty and her father have an apartment with room for live-in servants, as well as a chauffeur-driven car, plus Kitty’s own car. Not very typical of most city dwellers. Also, Kitty has the clothes and the poise to be able to mingle with the Upper Crust. The author does a good job describing city life, as well as the constraints put on women at this point in time. She only touches lightly on the fashions of the day, but the author does refer to several headlines that Kitty, or anyone in the country at that time, would have seen. In addition to all of the lead-up to the US entering the war in Europe, there is the trial of Harry Thaw for shooting architect Sanford White. She also name drops actresses Mary Pickford and Pearl White.
As a genealogist, one of the things I found most interesting was when Kitty’s father decides to apply for a passport. This is the first time they have been required, as the State Department is worried about potential spies due to the impending war. They were already asking for two photos, but some of the questions seemed a bit unreasonable. Also, if you did not have a birth certificate, which would not have been unusual at that time, you could just have an American citizen that has known you for several years vouch for you. And of course, as an unmarried woman, Kitty’s citizenship followed her father’s, even though she was over 18.
If this was your family, how would you research them? Kitty, and her businessman father, lived outside the United States for most of Kitty’s life. It might be possible to track her father’s business connections, and Kitty’s boarding school in Switzerland might be a source. But you would pick them up at Ellis Island, when they arrived in the United States. Also, property records for that large apartment might be available. Many of Kitty’s acquaintances would have made multiple appearances on the Society pages. And of course that passport application would be interesting to peruse!