Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk

My last book for February since I finished it today was Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Although it sounds like a children's book, Lillian Boxfish is very adult. On New Year's Eve 1984, Lillian Boxfish decides to take a walk across Manhattan, retracing her life there since 1926. Lillian rose to fame as the highest paid female advertising copywriter for R.H. Macy's. Lillian's walk takes her from her apartment in Murray Hill, to Grimaldi's, Madison Square Park, Delmonico's Restaurant, The Old National Biscuit Factory, Penn Station, and R.H. Macy's, before finally returning home. Lillain Boxfish is based on the life of Margaret Fishback, poet and once the highest paid female copywriter for R.H. Macy's.

I have never been to New York but for those who have, the inside covers of the novel feature a map of Lillian's walk. I liked this novel because I love to walk, especially around favorite cities or towns. My favorite city to stroll in is Paris and each time I go, I like to visit the same places to see how they have changed. While reading this novel, I often thought of my grandmother who was born in Chicago and lived there her entire life, most of the 20th century. The changes that she witnessed were astounding.