Woman's Own

Set in 19th-century Philadelphia, this complex historical romance follows three generations of women in the Main Line Armstrong family as they are propelled into independence by the men, good and bad, in their lives. Emily, the mother of two girls, is abandoned when the marriage for which she defied her social class collapses. Learning working-class survival skills, she becomes a respectable boarding-house proprietor, but still must cope with her daughters' coming-of-age. Patsy is determined to wed wealthily whatever the cost, and pays a high price; Lilly finds male support for her entrepreneurial undertaking, the building of a luxury hotel. Reconciled with her wealthy mother, Emily deals with the willfulness of her daughters, and with her own sexual awakening. Carr ( Tempted ) evokes a city brimming with the rich and famous, who are often cruel and greedy, as she depicts interesting women, survivors of the various rebellions that shaped their lives. (Apr.)