Ambitions

The world created by Howard has been mined before, but the author of The Morning Tide is adept in fashioning an entertaining tale. Although it eventually succumbs to the cliches of the genre, this novel gets a real boost from its lively prose and gift for detailing both the under and upper crust of Victorian England. Sheltered, headstrong Lacy Hemingway runs afoul of her papa and leaves home in the dead of night with gritty Rose O'Malley, her maid and confidante. Having once escaped the teeming slums of Liverpool, Rose is reluctant to return, but the young women must throw themselves on the mercy of her relations. Hard work and Lacy's pawned jewels give them a stake with which they build a shipping empire that will rival Mr. Hemingway's. Cheerfully flouting rigid social rules that dictate a woman's place, the steadfast friends win out, only to be tested further by their love for the same man. (March 26)