Chicago, 1945. Marie Marchetti flees Chicago for Kansas after discovering her husband dealing with dangerous underworld men, only to discover itʾs the identity of her real father and his ethnicity that unexpectedly changes her life more than Richard ever could.
When Marie discovers the extent of her husband’s involvement in 1940s Chicago underground activities, she gives up what had appeared to be the perfect life—a good job, a loving husband, and the promise of starting a family. In her pursuit of a new life, fate draws her to Kansas where she finds refuge in a coach house apartment tucked away behind a three-story Victorian home in the quaint town of Atchison—an ideal place to start over, away from big city life and Richard.
But Richard isn’t about to let her go easily, and his convincing attempts to coerce her into believing that she is safer with him in his world than on her own cause Marie to second-guess her own convictions more than once.
Scared, confused, and at the brink of deciding what to do in order to find peace in her life, Marie discovers the identity of her real father and his surprising heritage—changing her life more than Richard ever could.
Professional Reviews
Review by Mary Crocco
The settings in The Coach House are described beautifully by Florence Osmund. Chicago and its music venues, New York City, and San Francisco—we get to travel and enjoy these cities with Marie. The character development is Osmund’s strength in The Coach House. Each character becomes alive in chapter after chapter. It’s hard to put down the book because we get so absorbed with each character—whether it’s Marie, Richard, and Karen, or Richard’s cohort doing his dirty work. The Coach House is a superbly written book, in my opinion. It will leave the reader thinking about relationships, adversity, independence and growth, and prejudices. It’s always nice to finish a good book with something to think about.
Review by BestChickLit
The Coach House both inspires and captivates as it explores the ins and outs of life as a mixed-race woman in the 1940’s. The reason why the book is so captivating is that it focuses on more than just the woman’s role and her relationship with a controlling man. We also gain an insight into what life would be like if you suddenly found that your ethnicity was under question. With its beautiful descriptions and perfectly placed lyrics, this book is not only thought evoking, but also a genuine pleasure to read.
Review by Rebecca's Reads
Having just finished reading The Coach House, I can tell you it was a captivating story. The Coach House is set in Chicago circa 1945. That’s a different world from what we know today, and I always enjoy being able to “go back in time” and experience pieces of the past; hence my desire to read it. The Coach House is a well-written saga that obviously required a ton of research for all the details it includes. I’d happily recommend this book to any reader.
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