Roast Beef, Medium

Published in 1921, 'Roast Beef, Medium' by Edna Ferber introduces Emma McChesney, a divorced mother and successful sales representative for a skirt and petticoat company. Set in the Midwest, the novel chronicles her humorous and poignant experiences with various characters, including predatory salesmen and hotel clerks, as she navigates her career while raising her seventeen-year-old son, Jock. This book is the first in a trilogy that highlights the challenges and triumphs of a working woman in the early 20th century.