Books like City of light by Lauren Belfer
Louisa Barrett leads a prominent girls’ school in Buffalo during the electrified boom of 1901. Her progressive spirit and independent leadership raise her profile in a society that still prizes male authority and traditional womanhood. Yet a secret from her past, tied to the upper ranks of the U.S. government, keeps her vulnerable, forcing her to balance ambition with survival as the Pan‑American Exposition draws national attention.
Under the flare of industrial progress and bustling city life, Barrett’s school becomes a microcosm of the changing social conditions and life of women in early‑20th‑century America.
The narrative explores the tensions between private schools and public expectations, while confronting the monumental shifts in technology, politics, and civic life occurring in the historic era of industrial revolution and national exhibitions.
First publish date: 1999
Genre: Historical Fiction/20th Century Historical Fiction
Authors: Lauren Belfer
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