Twenty-year-old Celia Garth is in a rut. Tired of being the poor relation, tired of being assigned the most menial tasks by the senior dressmakers in the Charleston shop where she's apprenticing, Celia makes a bold move in seeking an introduction to Vivian Lacy, one of the most demanding ladies in Charleston. Quickly, Vivian's fortunes change: she becomes Vivian's trusted friend and confidante, in addition to her dressmaker, and has a front row seat to the battles of Revolutionary War that is creeping ever-closer to the stately rowhouses and outlying plantations that comprise Celia's world. Still, nothing could prepare Celia for the tragedies the war will bring - nor for being asked to undertake some of the most dangerous work in Charleston, as a spy for Francis Marion.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of Celia Garth. Admittedly, there were times I felt a *tiny* bit too sure of what was coming next, but Gwen Bristow's writing, and her gift for capturing both her characters and their surroundings is never in doubt. As in her Plantation Road trilogy, the characters aren't particularly subtle or complex, but the overall effect is a pleasant book to cozy up with. As an aside, it was amusing to me that much of the action took place on Tradd Street, the same street that occupies a central place in the life of John Jakes's Main Family.
Three-and-a-half stars.
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