Blue-grass and Broadway.

Between the green quiet of the countryside and the glare of the great city lies the space where many a story finds its drama. Maria Thompson Daviess's Blue-grass and Broadway sets those two worlds against each other, its very title sounding the contrast at its heart.

What it's about

The title pairs the blue-grass country, the pastoral world associated with rural Kentucky, against Broadway, the bright and worldly stage-lit heart of the city. The novel belongs to the warm-hearted popular fiction of its era, in which characters move between the values of home and the temptations and promise of a larger world. Daviess was a widely read American writer of her time, known for stories rooted in place and enlivened by romance and gentle comedy. We leave the particulars for the reader to discover, and let the meeting of country and city carry its familiar charge.

Themes

The book plays on the enduring tension between the rural and the urban, between rootedness and ambition, sincerity and sophistication. Stories built on this contrast tend to ask where happiness truly lies, and whether the plain virtues of home can survive the dazzle of the wider world. Romance, character and a strong sense of place are the natural materials of such a tale.

Why it still matters

Popular fiction of this kind offers a window onto the tastes and values of its moment, and onto an America negotiating the pull between country and city. Read today, such novels have a period charm, and reward those who enjoy discovering the storytellers who once found a wide and affectionate audience.

Who it's for

For readers who enjoy period American fiction, gentle romance and stories built on the contrast of country and city life. A pleasant discovery for anyone drawn to the popular novels of an earlier age.

Sources and references

Verified references for this edition: Open Library.