Contrary Mary

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About this book

Wedding guests fill a large house overlooking the city when Roger Poole arrives to view rooms offered by Mary Ballard. Her sister Constance is getting married that evening, and Mary guides him upstairs by a quieter staircase. In the Tower Rooms, he finds comfortable furniture and a library whose books reveal the tastes of a devoted reader. This meeting gives Temple Bailey's romance a setting where private conversation unfolds alongside family celebrations.

The story also makes room for letters about friendship, disappointment and hopes for the future. One correspondent responds to Mary's enthusiasm but objects to the prospect of her earning a living. These exchanges bring questions of work and marriage into the relationships. Readers interested in changing expectations for women can follow the tension between affectionate encouragement and attempts to limit independence.

About the author

Temple Bailey

Temple Bailey (c. 1869-1953) was an American author of romantic novels and short stories, among the most popular and highly paid magazine writers of the early twentieth century.