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A Century of American Romance/Dreams
American Pie
Patriotism and all things American have never been more popular in all facets of media, entertainment and life: - Hit television shows such as "American Dreams and "American Idol have captured the attention of viewers everywhere and have been renewed for the upcoming television season.- Americana-themed literature is prevalent in the world of publishing. "Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani and "Stupid White Men by Michael Moore are some examples.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1990
44 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Osborne
30 books519 followersaka
Margaret St. George
Maggie Osborne is the author of I Do, I Do, I Do and Silver Lining, as well as more than forty contemporary and historical romance novels written as Maggie Osborne and Margaret St. George. She has won numerous awards from Romantic Times, Affaire de Coeur, BookraK, the Colorado Romance Writers, and Coeur du Bois, among others. Osborne won the RITA for long historical from the Romance Writers of America in 1998. Maggie lives in a resort town in the Colorado mountains with her husband, one mule, two horses, one cat, and one dog, all of whom are a lot of aggravation, but she loves them anyway.
Margaret St. George
Maggie Osborne is the author of I Do, I Do, I Do and Silver Lining, as well as more than forty contemporary and historical romance novels written as Maggie Osborne and Margaret St. George. She has won numerous awards from Romantic Times, Affaire de Coeur, BookraK, the Colorado Romance Writers, and Coeur du Bois, among others. Osborne won the RITA for long historical from the Romance Writers of America in 1998. Maggie lives in a resort town in the Colorado mountains with her husband, one mule, two horses, one cat, and one dog, all of whom are a lot of aggravation, but she loves them anyway.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2017
From 1892 until 1954, over 12 million immigrants arrived in America by way of Ellis Island. For many people, it was their dream. In truth, about ’2 percent were denied admission to the U.S. and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as a chronic contagious disease, criminal background, or insanity’. Those people who remained faced an uphill struggle.
Margaret St. George aka Maggie Osborne first published this historical romance in 1990. It was ten years before her popular Silver Lining and I Do, I Do, I Do. I enjoyed those stories when they were first released but my ratings plummeted on a reread. I was leery of reading this book after discovering St. George and Osborne were one and the same.
I was surprised. American Pie was a sobering view of the end of the nineteenth century through the eyes of several pioneers. It had a formidable depth that you rarely see in a Harlequin. If I had to guess, the author made a difficult choice; it read like a shorter version -251 pages- of what could have been a full-length historical romance.
Don’t get me wrong, it had a H/h and their courtship a la Harlequin. There was also another endearment between two secondary characters. But the story stressed the hardships new citizens had to face and their abject poverty. Both of the MCs were written in a fashion that was closer to the truth with the setting in 1899. For some readers, it might be frustrating. All in all, it was a good story.
Margaret St. George aka Maggie Osborne first published this historical romance in 1990. It was ten years before her popular Silver Lining and I Do, I Do, I Do. I enjoyed those stories when they were first released but my ratings plummeted on a reread. I was leery of reading this book after discovering St. George and Osborne were one and the same.
I was surprised. American Pie was a sobering view of the end of the nineteenth century through the eyes of several pioneers. It had a formidable depth that you rarely see in a Harlequin. If I had to guess, the author made a difficult choice; it read like a shorter version -251 pages- of what could have been a full-length historical romance.
Don’t get me wrong, it had a H/h and their courtship a la Harlequin. There was also another endearment between two secondary characters. But the story stressed the hardships new citizens had to face and their abject poverty. Both of the MCs were written in a fashion that was closer to the truth with the setting in 1899. For some readers, it might be frustrating. All in all, it was a good story.
June 5, 2015
Excellent book about the dreams of two newcomers to America. Lucie and Jamie meet on Ellis Island the day they arrive. Their connection is immediate, but they are separated before they even have a chance to exchange names. Lucie has come from Poland to join her brother, hoping for a better life than she had there. She gets a bit of a shock when she discovers that jobs are hard to find and the living conditions are deplorable. But she won't give up hope that things can be better.
Jamie has come to America from Dublin, also looking for a better life. He has a dream of having his own architectural and construction business someday, but first has to find a way to make a living. This isn't easy for an Irishman in New York, where the Irish are looked down on. He manages to fight for a position on a building site, but it comes at a price.
Lucie and Jamie found each other again, only to discover that the man that Jamie fought and beat for his job was Lucie's brother. As a result, Stefan refuses to give Jamie permission to call on Lucie. Stefan is still set in the old ways, where he has the right to dictate who Lucie can see. Lucie wants to embrace the ways of her new land, and when she has the opportunity to spend time with Jamie she takes it. She feels guilty about deceiving Stefan, but not enough to stop seeing him. Jamie feels the same, but also continues to lobby for Stefan's permission. I loved seeing the way that they used the time to really get to know each other. They also spent a lot of time sharing their dreams with each other.
The slow growth of Lucie and Jamie's feelings was beautifully done. All of it was true to what was permitted at the time. I loved Jamie's persistence in his quest to court Lucie, and how he refused to give up hope. I really enjoyed seeing how he finally earned Stefan's respect and they were able to court openly. But things don't go so smoothly, as Lucie finds a way to make some money on her own, which threatens Jamie's sense of what is acceptable and right. The question becomes one of which is more important to him, his pride or the future they could have together. I loved seeing Lucie stand up for her dreams.
I loved the realistic look at what life was like for new immigrants. The search for work and the prejudices they faced made the pursuit of their dreams so much harder. The difficulties of day to day life did much to kill the dreams of so many, but there were also those who kept their dreams alive. This book also showed the huge differences between the people with money and those who served them.
The secondary romance of Stefan and Greta was sweet and heartbreaking. The reality of Greta's factory work and its physical effects was hard to witness, but Greta maintained a wonderful attitude to the end.
Jamie has come to America from Dublin, also looking for a better life. He has a dream of having his own architectural and construction business someday, but first has to find a way to make a living. This isn't easy for an Irishman in New York, where the Irish are looked down on. He manages to fight for a position on a building site, but it comes at a price.
Lucie and Jamie found each other again, only to discover that the man that Jamie fought and beat for his job was Lucie's brother. As a result, Stefan refuses to give Jamie permission to call on Lucie. Stefan is still set in the old ways, where he has the right to dictate who Lucie can see. Lucie wants to embrace the ways of her new land, and when she has the opportunity to spend time with Jamie she takes it. She feels guilty about deceiving Stefan, but not enough to stop seeing him. Jamie feels the same, but also continues to lobby for Stefan's permission. I loved seeing the way that they used the time to really get to know each other. They also spent a lot of time sharing their dreams with each other.
The slow growth of Lucie and Jamie's feelings was beautifully done. All of it was true to what was permitted at the time. I loved Jamie's persistence in his quest to court Lucie, and how he refused to give up hope. I really enjoyed seeing how he finally earned Stefan's respect and they were able to court openly. But things don't go so smoothly, as Lucie finds a way to make some money on her own, which threatens Jamie's sense of what is acceptable and right. The question becomes one of which is more important to him, his pride or the future they could have together. I loved seeing Lucie stand up for her dreams.
I loved the realistic look at what life was like for new immigrants. The search for work and the prejudices they faced made the pursuit of their dreams so much harder. The difficulties of day to day life did much to kill the dreams of so many, but there were also those who kept their dreams alive. This book also showed the huge differences between the people with money and those who served them.
The secondary romance of Stefan and Greta was sweet and heartbreaking. The reality of Greta's factory work and its physical effects was hard to witness, but Greta maintained a wonderful attitude to the end.
July 22, 2019
A 2.4
When the interesting part begins, the story ends. I understand the harlequin page limit and such but... the author could have conveyed the same but with a lot more story too.
When the interesting part begins, the story ends. I understand the harlequin page limit and such but... the author could have conveyed the same but with a lot more story too.
December 19, 2024
Surprisingly dark and grim, although I don't know why that surprised me in a Maggie Osborne book--maybe because this was a Harlequin historical, and I thought that with the shorter page count it would be lighter?
I think that shorter page count also contributed to me feeling like the story ended abruptly, and I think that Lucie's business could have been elaborated on and that Lucie and Jamie had more issues to work through.
I think that shorter page count also contributed to me feeling like the story ended abruptly, and I think that Lucie's business could have been elaborated on and that Lucie and Jamie had more issues to work through.
October 24, 2015
This was grim and gritty read, although it does have a happy ending. It dragged a bit in places.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews