The Engagements By J. Courtney Sullivan

[amazon_link id=”1844089371″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’The Engagements’ is the latest book by J. Courtney Sullivan.

1947: Mary Frances Gerety, a young copywriter in an eminent advertising agency, has to convince the world of two thing – that marriage means a diamond ring on every woman’s finger and that she is as good at her job as any man. And then, in one moment of inspiration, Mary Frances writes down four words which will achieve both her aims.

‘The Engagements’ for me, was a book that was a bit slow to start but suddenly I found myself gripped with the story, immersed in a world filled with diamonds, love and heartache.

The story is set through the decades in America and Paris when marriage was a must to be part of society and for those women, who questioned it and why they decided to venture forward in life alone were observed with raised eyebrows.

One of the things that I enjoyed about the story was not only that it was set in different eras, when attitudes and opinions changed but the fact that the characters were so complex each one burdened with a different problem in life ranging from infidelity to money problems.

In some cases I warmed to some characters much more than others. The characters ranged from Frances, one of the first female copywriters in the 1940’s who came up with the world famous tagline ‘A Diamond is Forever’ for the De Beers diamond collection. Set up like a scene from ‘Mad Men’, Frances battles against the opposite sex for equality in the company, to be seen as more than a pair of breasts and that she has every right to join the golf club whether she is married or not. Wonderfully strong, independent and aspirational, I found Frances to be one of my favourite characters of the book as she regularly wondered why she had to be married for her to have her place in society. Other characters that I particularly found enjoyable, was Evelyn, a woman who believes a marriage is forever and is heartbroken when her son’s marriage falls apart and James who works long hours as an ambulance medic in order to provide for his family. Their family values were equally heartbreaking and heart-warming as they tried to keep their family together. Delphine and Kate were the final two characters that I enjoyed but found that I didn’t like Kate that much, as she regularly vocalised her opinions on marriage and how she didn’t really believe in the sanctuary of it, I always felt scenes with her were always filled with pressure as everyone around her prepared themselves for her tirade of beliefs. Meanwhile Delphine was interesting, a sophisticated french lady who gives up her husband and life in Paris for a younger model that makes her feel like a new woman.

‘The Engagements’ is most definitely an interesting story that is cleverly written and would be a must read for a book club. A story that questions that if a diamond is forever then so must be a marriage, it is filled with charming characters and diverse opinions. I did find myself thinking at the end of the book, I was happier to be a woman in this day and age when a woman was treated more as a equal and not just as a wife and there were far more options available for us. Gloriously funny, sensitive and romantic dialogue, ‘The Engagements’ is a story that I enjoyed immensely and with a beautifully illustrated cover, this book is most definitely an engaging read.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”1844089371″ target=”_blank” ]The Engagements from Amazon[/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.