ARC Review: “Drawing Outside The Lines: A Julia Morgan Novel” by Susan J. Austin

“Drawing Outside The Lines: A Julia Morgan Novel” by Susan J. Austin

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Page Length: 256 pages (paperback review edition)

Synopsis:

Meet the brilliant, fearless, and ambitious Julia Morgan. In 1883, eleven-year-old Julia visits the amazing new Brooklyn Bridge—an experience that ignites within her a small but persistent flame. Someday, she decides, she too will build an astounding structure.
Growing up in horse-and-buggy Oakland, Julia enjoys daring fence walks, climbing the tallest trees, and constantly testing her mother’s patience with her lack of interest in domestic duties and social events. At a time when “brainy” girls are the object of ridicule, Julia excels in school and consistently outsmarts her ornery brothers—but she has an even greater battle ahead. When she enrolls at university to study engineering, the male students taunt her, and the professors belittle her. Through it all, however, Julia holds on to her dream of becoming an architect. She faces each challenge head-on, firmly standing up to those who believe a woman’s place is in the home. Fortunately, the world has yet to meet anyone like the indomitable Miss Morgan.

Review:

Drawing Outside The Lines is a historical fiction novel about the reimagined childhood of Julia Morgan. Julia is an American architect and engineer who designed more than 700 buildings in California during a long and prolific career. She is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. I had no knowledge of her or her contributions to architecture and learned so much from reading this novel.

I appreciated the blend of facts from historical events of that time and snippets from Julia’s real life. Per the author’s note, Julie was a very private person so not much is known about her early life. Austin does a fantastic job of educating readers of all ages while showcasing a career in the STEM field. Her contributions and passion for learning about building structures and trying to figure out how things work make her an interesting character (and really like historical figures). Julia faces multiple obstacles from being the only female in her mechanical engineering classes to naysayers who constantly tell her that she doesn’t belong in the field. Julia goes against societal standards and discrimination in order to pursue a career that truly makes her happy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. I appreciated reading about Julia’s journey and rooting for her story while also reading about people who believed in her and kept motivating her along the way.

Final Verdict: