A Vote of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher

About the Book:

In A Vote of Confidence, the stage is set for some intriguing insight into what it was like during 1915 to be a woman in a “man’s world.” Guinevere Arlington is a beautiful young woman determined to remain in charge of her own life. For seven years, Gwen has carved out a full life in the bustling town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho, where she teaches piano and writes for the local newspaper. Her passion for the town, its people, and the surrounding land prompt Gwen to run for mayor. After all, who says a woman can’t do a man’s job? But stepping outside the boundaries of convention can get messy. A shady lawyer backs Gwen, believing he can control her once she’s in office. A wealthy newcomer throws his hat into the ring in an effort to overcome opposition to the health resort he’s building north of town. When the opponents fall in love, everything changes, forcing Gwen to face what she may have to lose in order to win.

My opinion:

A Vote of Confidence is a great read, while I may not agree with everything about the book, it was very well written. I felt like I knew the town of Bethlehem Springs and knew the people who lived there. The characters were well developed and even with the "shady lawyer" one could feel the animosity the man felt through the pages of the book. I read through this in just over two days, so it's also a quick, a good thing for a busy mom.

While I don't agree that women can't hold public office, I do believe according to Scripture and my own personal convictions, if there is a man who is qualified and can do the job then he should be the one to hold the office. This supports him being able to care and provide for his family. So while this didn't detract from the story, I could see why Gwen, would be a better person because she genuinely cares for her town. I did like the end part, but I won't say what it is because that will give everything away.

Also Gwen's sister, Cleo, is a wrangler and as such wears men's clothing and makes no apologies about it. She claims she can't do what she needs to do in a dress. I manage to do plently in my dresses and skirts as have women down through the centuries including the fronteir women who many times had to do plowing, gardening, and other such farm work.

Like I said, while I don't agree with everything in the book, it seems quite accurate historically and Robin Lee Hatcher does her best to clarify if she took liberties on a year or a date, but she did very well in writing this book to be historically accurate. I never realized that women had the vote in 1896 in Idaho by their State Constitution, way before women were given the right to vote in the United States Constitution.

I do recommend that if you are looking for a historically accurate, Christian fiction book that you would look into this book from Zondervan.

**Picture of the book cover and the text for About the Book is taken from Zondervan's website.