In Edwardian England, being a poor relation is its own particular kind of poverty. Jane Evelyn Aubrey-Blythe discovers this truth in her cousin's sprawling household, where her position as governess masks something closer to indentured servitude. Beautiful, sharp-tongued, and unwilling to perform gratitude for condescension, Jane chafes under the weight of her Aunt Agatha's measured cruelties and the silent contempt of relatives who see her as an embarrassment to be endured rather than family to be cherished. But Jane possesses something her wealthy cousins lack: the willingness to leave. When she boards a ship for America, she's not just crossing an ocean, she's refusing to accept a life of diminishment. Kingsley's novel captures the particular agony of being undervalued by those who should have protected you, and the radical act of choosing solitude and self-respect over comfort and degradation. This is a story for anyone who's ever been told to be grateful for less than they deserve.
