CEREMONY OF INNOCENCE

In Asher’s historical novel, a wealthy young American woman comes of age in 1920s France.

In 1924, Gemma Danforth graduates from Wellesley College in Massachusetts with degrees in French literature and secondary education. At this major turning point in her life, she is unsure what she wants to do next—philosophical questions plague her about how to spend her future. Her privileged upbringing, when juxtaposed with what she has learned about the state of education in the Southern states, has led her to a moral conundrum: Should she attempt to use her education to help, or continue living comfortably as she has her whole life? Gemma decides, in the short-term, to spend some time in France, where her parents currently live, in order to find herself. Her father, a journalist, has been stationed in Paris as a correspondent for the Herald Tribune since before World War I. Her mother, who has been ill lately, traveled to join him as Gemma finished her education. Once in France, Gemma moves in with her friends, Eloise and Lily, in an apartment in Nice. The three young women spend their time engaging with the culture and art of France while exploring and questioning their belief systems in a society less structured than that of early-20th-century America. Gemma, Eloise, and Lily each grow in different ways, with Eloise questioning her Catholic roots and Lily recognizing a growing attraction to Gemma. Some of their characterizations feel slightly patronizing, such as when early in the novel, in a conversation with her brother, Gemma qualifies her questions to him with, “I know I’m still just a girl, but I’ve wanted to speak to you about my own small world.” This is compounded by how effusive the characters are in all of their conversations, which make up the brunt of the text. (Much of the book is given over to lengthy monologues, which at times become tedious.) Still, Asher presents an engaging historical story from between the World Wars from a compelling perspective.

Verbose historical fiction with a hint of romance.