A Woman of Independent Means chronicles the life of Elizabeth Alcott Steed Garner. She was born in 1890 in Honey Grove, Texas and lived a childhood of affluence.
After a brief stint at college, she returns home to marry her childhood friend and sweetheart, Robert "Rob" Steed. Together, they move to Dallas to start their life together. As the city grows, so does the wealth of the couple, and Elizabeth "Bess" again returns to the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed.
Bess is very close to her family, and when her mother dies, Bess takes it very hard. She has even more difficulty when her father gets married again, to a young woman much closer to Bess' own age.
The Steeds begin a family of their own, and they have two young sons and a daughter. Bess finds herself alone a great deal with the children as Rob is traveling throughout the country selling war bonds.
When World War I is over, the Steeds find themselves in St. Louis. Rob has found that the life insurance business is booming and he starts his own company. Bess begins to climb the St. Louis social ladder. Appearance is very important, and she makes sure the Steeds have quite a high rung on that ladder.
Without going into great detail, Bess is widowed at an early age. Just as the roaring 20's are in full bloom, Bess must learn to keep the household and her family's business together. This is not an easy feat for a woman in this day and age, and surviving the stock market crash of 1929 is just as difficult.
Through time, we see Bess' children grow into fine young adults. Bess has returned to Dallas. She travels often and sees her children at their respective eastern schools. Though life is good, World War II affects even the privileged, and this is documented well by Bess.
As time passes, there are marriages, deaths, and births of grandchildren. Bess is there through it all, doing all she can to keep her family together, though they live so far apart.
It is quite a touching story, as the reader seems to witness Bess' life, from her early childhood to her quiet proper death. It is as though I knew Elizabeth Steed Garner all along.
What sets A Woman of Independent Means apart from other novels, is that the entire story is told in a series of letters. There is no dialogue whatsoever. It seems that Bess was an avid letter writer, sending correspondence to those that touched her most. Her letters are full of such feeling and expression that there is no need for dialogue.
The letters begin with a childish scrawl to her playmate Rob, and end with her last words to her granddaughter, Betsy.
In between these two letters, we see the shaping of a country, a society, and a family located within the two. Early letters discuss the newfangled contraption called the "car", and the very first election in which women can vote. Late in her pregnancy, Bess travels to Europe, because society is more accepting of her condition over there and she can go out and travel.
There are also a series of letters to her husband that are written so beautifully and openly that I didn't even notice they were only one-sided. You see this is a picture of the world through Bess' eyes alone, and it is truly fascinating.
I highly recommend this book to any avid female reader. I see women enjoying the book more than men might. Bess speaks often of the status of women in her day and age. I just feel women would relate better to the message, and therefore would be more satisfied with the story.
Though I speak highly of the character named Bess, she isn't entirely likable. It is clear she has always been a woman of privilege, and she knows it. This belief shines through in her letters. There is a proper place for everyone, including domestic help and those of lower classes. However, instead of talking away from the story, such a belief of entitlement only makes Bess' character more genuine.
I was extremely satisfied with A Woman of Independent Means. It is an excellent story that spans several generations while documenting the life of one special woman. I felt as though I had found a box of old letters, and was reading them to get a picture of a woman from long ago. I have to commend the author, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, for writing such a unique story.
