Roast Beef, Medium by Edna Ferber is simply a great read: the compelling adventures of an independent woman, out to earn the respect she deserves, single-handedly winning over her male colleagues, while raising her son on her own. Simple, little story? Absolutely not - this is 1913...
While this book could well make the case for being a feminist one, I did not feel this: there is still a fine line between emerging feminist thoughts and nostalgia for the traditional roles in society expressed by Emma McChesney, our heroine. I would just say it's a novel way ahead of its time: Her "adventures" could well have taken place in modern times, which made me wonder: if these descriptions apply today and the problems are still in existence today, what was the situation back in 1913? How could Emma, any Emma, survive, when even today women can still fail facing such challenges?
