 |
Can virtue be found in a turn-of-the-century bordello?
Can a frontier teacher stand idly by as the Shoshone culture is subsumed
by Anglo missionaries?
Can a
suburban lawyer justify that his casual dalliances don't amount to
infidelity?
From the opulent parlor of
an 1898 Seattle bordello to a Portland law firm in 1989, each heroine,
hero, and villain in this memorable collection of short stories is
captured at crossroads in life. They are ordinary people: brave, timid,
foolhardy, modest, brazen, and often self-sacrificing. And they struggle
with the budding concerns of their time—women’s suffrage,
chauvinistic double-standards, prejudice, misogyny, and the loneliness
of separation brought on by war. Gehla S. Knight deftly explores these
issues without reserve, placing her characters in crisis situations
where they must act despite the murkiness of what’s right and what’s
wrong. In small but powerful ways, their choices challenge the
prevailing views of their time and blaze new trails that those who
follow can easily travel. Juxtaposing society’s often ill-conceived
mores with individual will and desire, Knight deftly combines historical
settings with colloquial dialogue and vivid characters. Spanning nearly
a century of American history, Plum’s Pleasure is a satisfying
collection that will tantalize both your senses and sensibilities. |
