Yes, The Heart Remembers ~ and it told Faith Baldwin, who wrote it down, so now we all know.
I was intrigued by Faith Baldwin as I often come across her titles. They appear to be romances, but cover art can be deceiving and I am often surprised with what I get. I've seen bad or misleading covers for some of my favourite books. This cheesy cover limits the audience, where if it had a New York Skyscraper on the front, it might appeal to more people. It has been republished many times over the years and unfortunately usually with a bad cover.
Faith Baldwin wrote over 100 books and at her popularity in the 1930's, when she was in her 30's, she was one of the highest paid authors (earning the equivalent of 4 million in 1936). Her subjects were mainly working women juggling family and career.
What I found was a realistic look at the business world of the 40's, with a strong female lead who doesn't need a man to complete her. Indeed, when she gets them, she turns them down over her career, while others are happy to stop working when they wed.
Carol Reid is the new publicity director at Maynard and Hall, an established New York publishing house. She is good at her job and fits in well with their list of authors and their demands. When the Chief Editor Andrew Morgan returns from holiday he walks into a conference to see Carol - his ex-wife. It had been over ten years since they divorced and they lost touch. Faith never really goes into why they divorced, though there remarks about fighting and drinking. They were just too young at the time. They hardly know each other now and decide to remain friends.
The first half of the book is more about the workings of the publishing house than their relationship. Carol dates and is offered marriage but turns that down. She certainly isn't interested in Andrew. It was refreshing to read, especially since this is 1941, about a woman who values her freedom and job over the goal of marriage.
Halfway, she does get involved with a family whose young daughter writes poetry. Dawson is a widowed restaurant mogul and his daughter has a polio scare, but still Carol remains independent. This half reminded me more of Now Voyager by Olive Higgins Prouty, or James Hilton's Random Harvest.
This is story about two equals who meet many years after knowing each other, seeing how they have changed and what new directions they have for the future. It's a shame that novels like this exude a sweet romance vibe, which is dated and perhaps uninspiring. I found in this case the inside held an interesting slice of New York, quite a bit like the business world of Mad Men.
I wouldn't seek out a copy, but I'm glad I read it. It looks like I enjoy or recommend all the books I read, but what's not to love about the Big City in the 1940's?
Read my other reviews for Faith Baldwin:
1941 / Hardcover / 311 pages
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