The Girls of Haviland

by Deborah Rafferty Oswald

On the morning of September 2, 1918, the day before fourteen year old Jay McKenna is to leave home to attend the upscale Haviland Seminary for Girls on scholarship, she witnesses a girl falling to her death from a biplane flying over the family farm. Jay is shaken to learn that the girl, Violet Crane, was supposed to start at Haviland as well.Jay is frightened to attend the school where the news will be nothing but the stunning events that happened on her property. Yet she knows she must leave home. With her three brothers fighting in the Great War raging overseas, Da holds the remaining family hostage with his violent temper.As the “new girl,” and daughter of struggling immigrant farmers, Jay struggles to find her place at Haviland. She becomes the target of bullying and coercion. While Jay suspects the musically gifted and beautiful Nathalia is behind this, her complaints fall on deaf ears. Thankfully, she befriends Florence, the tough, determined newcomer ostracized because of her skin color. Can Jay learn from Florence how to stand on her own and fight for justice? Can the girls solve the mystery of Violet Crane’s death? Can Jay save her family?

206 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2017

Reviews

[Ayeni Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Girls of Haviland" pulls you in with a single shocking moment a girl plummeting from a biplane and doesn’t let go. Deborah Rafferty Oswald weaves a story that is as much about mystery as it is about resilience. Jay McKenna, torn from her troubled home and thrust into the elite world of Haviland Seminary, becomes a voice for every outsider who has ever had to fight for their place. The friendship between Jay and Florence is beautifully rendered and the quiet unraveling of Violet Crane’s death keeps you turning pages. It is poignant, unsettling and ultimately empowering an unforgettable journey through grief, courage and justice.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live locally to this setting and it was a delight to step back with Ms. Oswald and bring Brewster of 1918 to life. I wondered why the opening mystery took so long to solve, but realized, as book one, that much character development needed to happen before that could be pieced together. I love Jay as a young woman awakening to her power and potential at the dawning of the suffrage movement. Girl power!
A few inconsistencies (e.g. one horse's name kept changing), which I blame on editorial, not the author. I already have her next book to read. I have to see where Jay goes from here!

[Donna Hargrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girls of Haviland is a very enjoyable historical fiction piece. Deborah Rafferty Oswald weaves the story of a young girl's journey into adulthood against the back drop of WWI and the women's rights movement. Add to that a little intrigue and the setting of the town I grew up, and I was hooked.

[Kare Rothrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading The Girls of Haviland. I think I audibly gasped at the end of Chapter Twelve, and had to finish the book right then. I was happy to see the happy ending for Jay. I felt that the book ended perfectly, with all my questions answered!!

[Matt Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read right through this and really enjoyed it!