Can virtue be found in a turn-of-the-century bordello? Can a frontier teacher stand idly by as the Shoshone culture is subsumed by Anglo missionaries? Can a suburban lawyer justify that his casual dalliances don't amount to infidelity? From the opulent parlor of an 1898 Seattle bordello to a Portland law firm in 1989, each heroine, hero, and villain in this memorable collection of short stories is captured at a crossroads in life. They are ordinary people: brave, timid, foolhardy, modest, brazen, and often self-sacrificing. And they struggle with the budding concerns of their time -- women's suffrage, chauvinistic double-standards, prejudice, misogyny, and the loneliness of separation brought on by war. Gehla S. Knight deftly explores these issues without reserve, placing her characters in crisis situations where they must act despite the murkiness of what's right and what's wrong. In small but powerful ways, their choices challenge the prevailing views of their time and blaze new trails that those who follow can easily travel. Juxtaposing society's often ill-conceived mores with individual will and desire, Knight deftly combines historical settings with colloquial dialogue and vivid characters. Spanning nearly a century of American history, Plum's Pleasure is a satisfying collection that will tantalize both your senses and sensibilities.
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