Capitola the Madcap
1859
In 1859 America, Capitola Black is nothing short of explosive. She's a heroine who refuses to be caged: by poverty, by propriety, or by the men who think they can tell her what to do. When she crosses paths with Clara Day, a gentle ward being dragged off to the mysterious Hidden House by the forbidding Colonel Le Noir, Capitola doesn't hesitate. She fights. She scheme. She rescues, deceives, and defies everyone who underestimates a woman with wit, courage, and absolutely no intention of behaving. Emma Southworth, the most popular novelist in Victorian America, wrote this novel to be devoured in a single sitting. It's bold, propulsive, and unapologetically feminist before that word existed. If you want a heroine who hits back, who laughs in the face of danger, and who always, always has a plan, Capitola is waiting.
