The Plated City (Classic Reprint)

Summer drama on the field: a baseball game becomes a doorway to money, power, and love in a hill town.In Bartonvale, the Plated City and its mills shape a world where work, status, and pleasure intersect. A winning Saturday game draws crowds, bets, and quiet calculations about who profits and who loses. Amid the cheers, a gifted young team and their backers reveal tensions between ambition on Main Street and the values of the Flats below. A complex romance unfolds as Craig Kennedy, Sally Thayer, and a circle of friends navigate flirtations, loyalties, and rumors.At the center is Norman Lewis, a man torn between his growing wealth and a promise of belonging with Esther Beaulieu, whose past and parentage carry secrets that could change everything. As feelings deepen, the story probes questions of identity, class, and the limits of happiness in a town where every move is watched and every relationship matters. Vivid baseball scenes that blend sport with social stakes Richer portraits of a town divided by wealth and aspiration A developing romance shadowed by family history and hidden truths Wry humor, sharp dialogue, and a sense of place in early 20th‑century New EnglandIdeal for readers who enjoy character‑driven social novels set against community life, ambition, and the pull of romance. Read more