An unwanted daughter adapts to survive and grows into a young woman determined to forge a new life for herself. But searching for freedom during the rise of fascism may come with a price.
Forty years after meeting Shelby Morrow, two men reminisce - one, a loyal lifelong friend and the other, a man who loved her then publicly shamed her. Through their eyes, we are introduced to a remarkable survivor. Born into a privileged yet highly dysfunctional home in Newport, Rhode Island, Shelby learns to adapt to survive. An unwanted child, she is ignored by her bitter mother and emotionally withdrawn father, and as a result, she is subjected to years of abuse by her unstable older brother. She escapes to the loving home of her great aunt and her girls' school becomes a haven where she befriends French-born Cecile. But after another traumatic sexual assault, she seeks a new start in Paris with Cecile. But her hopes for independence and a meaningful life are crushed under the thumb of Cecile's controlling father, a powerful industrialist and prominent fascist. But when Shelby meets Martin, a young Austrian doctor, she lets down her defenses. But having feared men all her life, can she trust her love for him? And when Martin is arrested by the Nazis, Shelby feels utterly helpless. What chance does she stand against the Third Reich?
Written as Shelby's diary, the book reflects the way women were treated and looked upon in the early part of the twentieth century. Through Shelby's entries, readers can follow the life of a young woman who has survived a traumatic childhood and was driven to overcome her demons by fleeing from the U.S. to Paris only to be drawn into the world of fascism. As her efforts to build a new life are undermined by her best friend's domineering father, she finds herself once again a hostage to circumstances beyond her control. A dynamic story for fans of period dramas, Shelby Morrow Journals, 1929-1935 is a fascinating portrait of one woman's fight for personal freedom and love in the face of Nazis growing power.
