The Abortionist's Daughter — Elisa DeCarlo

A vivid, enthralling page turner, set in 1916. In an tiny Adirondack village, beautiful Melanie Daniels has lost her chance for marriage and family when her doctor father goes to prison for killing a woman while performing an abortion. Faced with a loveless marriage or being an old maid, Melanie elopes to New York with James, a paper mill equipment salesman.

But when she meets James's “friend,” Gladys Dumbrille, a flame-haired actress, Melanie discovers he is not the man he seemed. In fact, James gets her into more trouble that she could have imagined. Determined to not rely on anyone, Melanie lies her way into Gladys's new Broadway show. Their lives become intertwined in ways neither of them expect. Filled with a colorful cast of supporting characters and vivid depictions of social mores, fashion, and family, this engrossing novel explores issues of abortion, freedom, and fulfillment with intelligence, passion, and wit.