Emma McChesney and Company

In 1915, a divorced mother of one decides to conquer South America. That's Emma McChesney for you. Having clawed her way from stenographer to traveling salesman to owner of her own company, Emma now hits the international circuit, and she does it with a hatbox full of charm and a mind like a switchblade. Ferber's final installment in the McChesney trilogy finds our heroine juggling romance, salvaging businesses, and proving that a woman with moxie and a good line of patter can sell ice to eskimos or steak to vegetarians. The son has moved to Chicago with his new wife, leaving Emma gloriously unencumbered to do what she does best: talk, connive, and charm her way into every deal in sight. What makes Emma endure is simple: she's funny, she's fierce, and she's living proof that the rules weren't written for women like her. This is Jazz Age comedy at its sharpest, a portrait of American optimism wearing a very stylish hat.