Books like Summit Avenue by Mary Sharratt

Mary Sharratt’s debut novel follows Kathrin, a young German immigrant who comes to America after her mother’s death. Settling in Minneapolis, she works at a mill sewing flour bags and reconnects with cousin Lotte. Her life takes a turn when she meets the Jeliniks, owners of a small bookstore, and is introduced to Violet Waverly, who offers her a job typing and translating a book of fairy tales. Violet invites Kathrin to live in her mansion on the affluent Summit Avenue in Saint Paul. Through their shared loneliness and wounds, Kathrin and Violet find solace and an emerging affection that challenges societal norms of the time. As their friendship deepens, Kathrin uncovers hidden layers of Violet’s past, revealing that life can be as fragile and deceptive as a fairy tale. The novel explores the immigrant experience, the evolving roles of women, and the complexities of lesbian love in early 20th-century Minnesota, weaving personal growth with the broader cultural currents of World War I America.

First publish date: 2000