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Susannah, A Lawyer - From Tragedy to Triumph

di Ruth Rymer

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Questa recensione è stata scritta per gli Omaggi dei Membri di LibraryThing .
A very good read, showing the struggle of women in the late 1800's who wished to have a career and marriage. It showed how one woman overcame a personal tragedy and went on to be a respected lawyer.
  cmsamar | Oct 24, 2009 |
Rape. Sexual Harassment. Deeply ingrained, gender-based social mores. Victim blaming. The Denial of a woman's identity. Trafficking in women (daughters) for social and economic advancement. Any one of these topics could be the subject of a lengthy body of work, but Ruth Rymer manages to draw all of the most common challenges facing women in the 19th century into Susannah's journey from the halls of Mount Holyoke to the defendant's chair, to a seat in one of the top firms in Chicago to read law before taking the bar exam. In Susannah, A Lawyer, Ruth Rymer manages to bring to life the complex world of intelligent women in a time where attending college was for meeting husbands, not for building careers.

One challenge of writing historical fiction is establishing the time and social climate in a period that is not in an unimaginable past in a relatable, clear manner. Conveying the differences between current social perspectives and perspectives from the past is a challenge for any historical fiction author. Add to that the need to unveil similarities between past and present social issues (sexual harassment, for example) that may seem simplified and "solved," and you have a task that few authors are capable of negotiating effectively. At first glance, the layer upon layer of circumstantial bad luck that Susannah encounters from the first chapter to the last seems to be an almost over-saturation of political and social points. But when taken in conjunction with the period in which Susannah, A Lawyer is set, and the impact that historical fact plays on the pursuit of a law degree by a woman, her obstacles, and the strategies she employs in overcoming those obstacles, the laundry list of assaults by friends, family, and society all become representative of the struggles women of the 19th century faced collectively. In this respect, Rymer's juggling of controversial issues (both in the 19th century and now) with historical accuracy and engaging dialogue makes the comparison between Susannah and the reader inevitable.

Don't mistake Rymer's accessible writing for lack of sophistication. Susannah is full of well researched detail in language, social mores, apparel, and customs of diverse groups of people. Rymer's experience in law is immediately evident but not intimidating, and through the voice of Susannah, readers are able to encounter reading law with the same confidence she does. Rymer creates a cast of memorable and three dimensional characters that are fallible and real. Few are absolutely despicable. Few are completely lovable. Because of the range of experiences and actions of her characters, Susannah becomes more realistic, and the end of this novel leaves the reader expecting to hear the next installment over tea in the salon tomorrow rather than waiting for a sequel. Susannah becomes a character readers grow frustrated with because of her naivete in social situations that modern readers are all too familiar with, but at the same time the audience can't help but root for her to stand up for herself, to challenge barriers and to be the path blazing woman the title promises.
  LyriqueTragedy | Oct 6, 2009 |
Susannah, A Lawyer: From Tragedy to Triumph was a very interesting read even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I received a copy for review from the author's publicist, who had made a request for reviews on the GoodReads Historical Romance Discussion Group of which I am a member. I had volunteered, because the synopsis interested me, and I thought that it was either a historical romance or a historical novel in which romance was a strong element. In reality, the book is historical women's fiction with the romance (if it could even be called that) comprising probably less than ten percent of the story. I mention this only because I was about 1/3 of the way into the book before I finally realized this, and had experienced some disappointment up to that point. After my little epiphany, I was able to appreciate and generally enjoy the rest of the book for what it was, since I was no longer expecting things that I would likely not get.

Susannah is written in first-person perspective and focuses very narrowly on the main character of Susannah and her struggles in becoming a lawyer in an era when female attorneys were extremely few and those who did exist tended to encounter a great deal of prejudice and hostility from the public and their male counterparts. I've always had an interest in historical figures who were able to break gender (or other) barriers, so the subject matter was quite intriguing. Unlike some of my fellow readers, I am not anti-first-person and up to this point have never had a problem with reading that point-of-view. I also thought that first-person was appropriate for the topic of the book, but I admittedly had many moments when I really craved insights into the other character's thoughts and feelings. Susannah is very much the centerpiece of the narrative with the secondary characters merely orbiting on the periphery. Her relationships to them, whether it be her beau, family, friends, or colleagues are only touched upon very lightly, and in most cases briefly, which left me rather frustrated at times. One example is that Susannah's beau, Ted, is nothing but sweet and supportive throughout the entire story until one brief lapse at the very end where he becomes extremely upset and says some mean things to her that seemed completely out of character for him. Even though he later apologized and the author tries to explain his behavior, I really would have liked to know what Ted was thinking at that moment. I was also rather baffled by how Susannah and her siblings could have such ultra-conservative, ultra-religious parents, but be more liberal-minded themselves. Not that this is impossible, but I wanted to know more about that. Additionally, one of Susannah's colleagues at the firm had mentored her in a very congenial way, but then when she becomes a full-fledged attorney, he starts acting schizophrenic, skipping back and forth between saying and doing ugly things to her and being friendly. Again, his behavior is explained away by a serious illness that caused him to drink heavily to control the pain, and while I could buy that, I found myself wanting to know what he really thought of her. There were many moments like these throughout the narrative where I simply wanted to know more. There are also frequent moments when Susannah veers off into a quick present-tense commentary of the situation at hand, which I thought interrupted the flow of the narrative and seemed rather unnecessary since it's all from her perspective anyway.

Between blazing trails where few of her gender had gone before and surviving a brutal attack against her, Susannah was a strong woman who I could admire. She was very determined, never taking “no” for an answer; she found a way to effectively balance motherhood and her career; and she was an incredibly intelligent woman who proved herself to be as competent, if not more so, at law than her male colleagues. For these reasons alone, I couldn't help but like her. One complaint I have about her character though is that her reasons for becoming a lawyer seemed unfocused and dependent on the circumstances. The reader isn't really given much insight into what prompted the beginnings of her journey when she was still a young girl in boarding school. Sometimes she seemed to be a feminist who was looking to break the glass ceiling. Other times she asserted that she was so intelligent, she needed the intellectual stimulation and just couldn't bear the thought of the mundane life that most women of the era led. Still other times it was a desire to help people and make sure that justice was served, a view-point that was brought about in large part because of the attack. While all of these are certainly valid reasons, they just didn't quite come together for me in a cohesive way. Also, perhaps it is just the romantic in me, but I couldn't help but be a little frustrated with Susannah for the way she kept putting off Ted's marriage proposals. To me he seemed like an absolutely wonderful guy (except for that one lapse I mentioned earlier) and perfect for Susannah, since he didn't see her as a “ruined” woman because of the rape, was an attentive father-figure to her daughter, and out of all the men around her, was probably the most supportive of her career choice. Yet, Susannah often seemed impervious to his repeated proposals and declarations of love and admiration, and rather distrustful of him as well. I was pretty annoyed when she told him to find a solution to the issue of balancing a family with her career or she wouldn't even consider marriage. I just felt like if she truly cared for him, she would have communicated with him and tried to find a solution together instead of giving him an ultimatum. (In fact, it seemed like she had some personal communication issues in general, because even though she had known her first beau, Johnny, since childhood, she still didn't really know his true feelings about her studying law.) In the end, I couldn't help but wonder if Susannah ever would have accepted and married Ted if she hadn't accidentally found out about birth control from a client.

One other issue I had with Susannah and the characters in general was the lack of emotional development. If I had been in Susannah's shoes and been both physically and sexually assaulted to the point of near death, forced to marry my rapist and then found out I was carrying his child, I would have been utterly traumatized. While this was all certainly upsetting to her and I'm not advocating that she should have been a basket case, I just didn't feel like the whole experience carried the weight that it should have. Susannah spends the months following the attack dealing with all the repercussions in a fairly matter-of-fact way, and once she gets to Chicago and begins studying the law, it nearly seems to have been all but forgotten except for her waiting and hoping for an annulment, and one small bit later in the story where she is asked to defend a man accused of rape. The only thing that she ever truly seemed passionate about was the law. I could tell that she cared about, first Johnny, and then later, Ted, and that she was a good and loving mother to her daughter, Bertha, but I never sensed the deep level of feelings for them that she had for the law. Granted her passion for the law made her a great lawyer (I would certainly want to have her on my legal team if I were trouble), but in my opinion, she should have shown at least equal passion for her loved ones. Most of the time, I simply felt rather bereft of an emotional connection, not just to Susannah, but all the characters. A couple of small things that I think could have remedied this would have been more attention to the details of facial expressions and gestures and warming up the rather stilted, formal dialog. In my opinion, these simple changes would have added a great deal to the story.

As a kid, I used to be a big fan of courtroom dramas on TV, and really enjoyed shows like Perry Mason and Matlock. While some people dread being called for jury duty, I can honestly say that the one time I served on a jury, I found it to be an utterly fascinating experience that thoroughly engaged my intellect. This is the area where the author truly shines and shows her own passion and expertise as a law professional. I absolutely loved reading the courtroom scenes. They were very compelling and full of suspense, as Susannah figures out how best to defend her clients. She really throws herself into the fray as she cross-examines witnesses, combats the prosecutor's phony witnesses, makes closing arguments, and does all the things that a trial lawyer would do. It was in these moments that I was transported into another world and really felt like I was there witnessing everything as it happened. I can, without a doubt, say that these scenes warrant an A+ from me.

Susannah also has a very interesting dichotomy between feminism and religion. Depending on the reader's religious persuasion, it could be a little strange to think of the two in the same sphere. I personally believe that they can co-exist peacefully with the right balance, and in my opinion, Susannah did a pretty good job of attaining that balance. The feminist overtones in the story aren't completely overpowering, but they are very strong. I realize that the environment was pretty hostile for women who wanted to work in professional careers in the Victorian age, but there were a few moments where I felt that the author was grandstanding just a bit by engaging in some rather extreme stereotyping. While I do have some feminist sensibilities, I do not consider myself to be a true feminist. In fact, I have chosen to remain in the “women's sphere” even in this modern age, so there were certain parts that didn't really resonate with me on a personal level. As to the religious aspects, they seemed to hold almost equal weight. While I wouldn't necessarily call this an inspirational story (at least it isn't like any inspirational I've read before), it is obvious that Susannah is a woman of faith. She lives with her brother who is an Episcopal priest, attends church regularly and frequently prays to Jesus for help. Except for the way her father (who was also a priest) and mother behaved at the beginning of the story which I believe was meant to appall the reader anyway, there is no religious agenda, only gentle reminders that Susannah's faith is an important part of her day-to-day life. If not quite an inspirational, it is a “clean” book in my opinion. It has no sex, the only violence is either not particularly detailed or takes place off-canvas, and there are only a couple of objectionable words that are used a handful of times, so I feel it would be an appropriate book for teenagers and more sensitive readers.

While it may seems that I have had a number of criticisms of this book and there were admittedly some things I thought could have been better, I did for the most part enjoy reading Susannah in spite of any issues I might have had. It held my attention and kept me reading which of course are two of the most desirable traits of a novel. I also really liked the underlying message that even difficult circumstances like rape can turn into something wonderful, because without that tragic event in Susannah's life, she might never have moved to Chicago, realized her dream of practicing law and found the perfect mate. For a first effort, I thought it was well-done overall. Ms. Rymer shows definite potential as a novelist, and if she chooses to write more books in the future, I would welcome the opportunity to read them. ( )
  mom2lnb | Sep 17, 2009 |
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