Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 368 pages.
If you’ve missed the previous four Kopp Sisters novels by Amy Stewart, you’re missing out. That said, don’t let that stop you from starting now. Book five of the series, Kopp Sisters on the March works as a standalone novel. After all, this book is not only about the trio of sisters who have braved many trials and tribulations, but also about Beulah Binford. A “wicked woman” if there ever was one. Or was she?
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know?
Beulah’s very real, historical infamy became a pop culture phenomenon, a meme even, of the early 20th Century eastern states, and beyond. Such that she had a hard time keeping a low profile even in New York City, though she was from Virginia originally, and where infamy found her. In the end, her story, though tragic, was believable, ringing true not only in fact but of the era. On the surface, Beulah’s story was not one I’d typically go along with — a vapid, vain young woman has been abused by people she trusted, but who she also pursued — but once it was laid out, I was hooked. I found her fascinating.
All three Kopp sisters also have fascinating storylines themselves. However, in On the March, they all fold back onto the story of Beulah, though Stewart’s version is more fictionalized, deviating on a few matters from the historical record. The very real, historical Kopps disappear from the historic record in this time, so Stewart is able to explore the characters she’s created a bit more alongside this true-crime tale, and not lose any of the histories of her series protagonists.
And of course, like the previous books of the series, there are interesting explorations into the role of women in this pivotal time. So many changes are in the air for the world, for the United States, and for the Kopp Sisters. Women come to the fore during a time of war, stepping into leadership roles over enormous organizations, and demanding a bigger part of the decision-making. Stewart keeps the machinery of war moving far from the action of On the March, and I hope is setting up storylines for the years of World War I for Book 6.
This book is well-paced — not a breakneck thriller, but more of a straight historical novel than a nail-biting whodunnit. Something I liked, but didn’t realize until it was all over — there’s no romance to speak of in this book besides the romance of being young and finding yourself. Or being a little older, and finding yourself again. Anyway, I enjoyed it.
My Only Qualm
I truly love the cover art by Jim Tierney for this series. Each book’s cover is completely different and looks amazing. I’m pretty sure it was the covers that drew me to the series initially even though I already liked Amy Stewart’s non-fiction work. World War I aircraft are like catnip to me. It’s one of those things that I cannot explain. And there are biplanes on this gorgeous cover for On the March. As I read and enjoyed the book, I kept thinking, “Maybe the planes come later? Maybe at the end?” But, the cover is sadly the only place you’ll find aircraft in this book. *Sigh* Though all three sisters have decent roles and interesting storylines for themselves, none of them fly planes. Or get close to planes, or think of them, speak of them, or … anything.
Hungry For More?
Author Amy Stewart has prepared a fantastic Q&A for readers as well on her own website — you can check it out here, but be sure to click my links below before leaving.
https://www.amystewart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Amy-Stewart-KOPP-SISTERS-MARCH-QA.pdf.
Historical Fiction for the Historian
Most of my research is done through primary sources: newspapers, career guides, self-help books, medical books, etiquette guides, advertisements and so on… I also look at secondary sources, but then always pivot back to read the sources from the period that are referenced. In terms of writing historical fiction, one of the most interesting things for me is not presenting events as we might understand them today, but trying to understand how the same events were perceived during their time. So, in the case of the sleepwalker found frozen to death, in the 2010s, we would immediately question “too much schoolwork” as a cause, but in the 1910s, that opinion was backed up by doctors and medical books. And in fact, in the course of Kitty’s investigations, she speaks to a “nerve specialist” who tells her that girls who study too hard or work too much (like herself) are prone to all sorts of diseases. She has to get past that in order to solve the mystery.
No, you did not. UNLESS your name is Linda F. and your AOL email address starts with JDC. Thank you, Linda and everyone else that entered to win A Front Page Affair.