Aspirations of the Heart by Katie Hart Smith

Addie Engel is a small-town girl who wants nothing more than to leave her family farm, venture out in the wider world of 1913 Georgia and become a successful nurse. But the times aren’t so friendly to a young woman determined to buck society’s expectations and do more than marry, have children, and keep house. If society has its way, she will never leave Hope, Georgia, nor the boy who hopes to be more than just her friend. Then, tragedy strikes, and with it comes an opportunity Addie can’t refuse. Thrust into in the rapidly-growing city of Atlanta, she’s soon immersed in a world of powerful people intent upon their own plans and schemes, including Lester Schwinn, a conniving man hell-bent on making his mysterious cure-all tonic a household name at any cost. Aspirations of the Heart is the passionate tale of Addie’s self-discovery, but also the city of Atlanta and the growing pains the 20th century brings. Filled with vivid and memorable characters, and replete with historically and socially accurate details, it is a panoramic novel ideal for lovers of Southern fiction and for anyone who enjoys a well-spun, exciting, and colorful tale.