by L. M. Alcott
First published 2022
Amanda announces her bold travel plan to her two companions. The three women will sail from Boston to Messina aboard a small fruit vessel called the Wasp. The journey promises to be rough, with split sails and constant motion across the Atlantic. Matilda responds with enthusiasm, eager for the adventure ahead. Lavinia reacts with horror, convinced the voyage will kill her despite her friends' promises of balmy Sicilian air and orange groves. She dreads thirty days of violent ocean crossing but agrees to serve as their chaperone. When the Wasp refuses passengers, Amanda refuses to abandon her plans. She battles obstacles for weeks while Matilda swings between hope and despair. Lavinia waits passively for fate to decide her future. Finally Amanda announces a new arrangement. They will sail on the French steamer Lafayette to Brest instead. This solution disappoints the group since France means expensive, fashionable travel rather than their planned Italian adventure. The story captures the tension between wanderlust and practical fears that governs travel decisions.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, travel, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, friends-to-lovers
Setting: Boston, Messina, Sicily, Brest, France
Period: 19th-century
94 pages · Paperback · Lulu.com