About this book
In old New York, love promises a future—but family, custom, and duty all have a claim on the heart.
Amelia E. Barr’s The Belle of Bowling Green brings romance to the New York of long ago. Betty Gordon, admired for her beauty and grace, faces a world shaped by family expectations and codes of honor. Love offers possibility, but choosing her own path means questioning the life others expect her to lead.
Bowling Green, the small park at the foot of Broadway, anchors this story in lower Manhattan. Against that setting, Barr explores loyalty, courage, and character through the tensions of romance. Betty’s search for self-discovery gives those larger questions a personal edge: what does she owe her community, and what does she owe herself?
What you’ll discover
- A heart facing expectations Follow Betty as the promise of love meets the demands of family and custom.
- The pull of old New York Step into a city setting where romance gives the past a personal shape.
- Loyalty under pressure Explore the strain between private wishes and the duties that shape a life.
- The courage to choose Consider what it takes for a young woman to question her expected path.
- A gentle romantic manner Settle into formal storytelling that makes room for feeling, character, and reflection.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy period romance, old New York, and stories where love meets duty and politics. If you want fast modern plotting or a harsh, realistic tone, its gentle manner and formal style may feel less suited to you.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Barr turns history into a love story
- Old New York is the stage
- The romance follows a familiar and satisfying pattern
- Themes of loyalty, courage and character run through it
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 9 h 47 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 240 pages: 9,95 USD when you start free, 16,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 240 pages: 17,95 USD when you start free, 23,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear The Belle of Bowling Green in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
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The Belle of Bowling Green
by Amelia E. Barr· 1904
A young woman faces love and social expectations in old New York.
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Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Barr turns history into a love story
Amelia Barr was born in England in 1831 and moved to the United States as a young woman. Life gave her hard lessons, including the loss of her husband and several children, and she began writing seriously to support her family. Over the years she became a steady producer of popular novels, many of them set in the past.
Her method is easy to describe. She takes a real time and place, adds families with different loyalties, and lets a romance grow in the middle of them. The big events of history stay in the background, while the daily choices of her characters stay in front. A reader learns about the age by watching how people live, speak, dress and argue.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
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Questions about The Belle of Bowling Green
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
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Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
Who was Amelia E. Barr?
Amelia E. Barr was a British-born writer who lived in the United States and wrote dozens of popular novels. Many are historical romances. She also wrote essays and an autobiography, and she died in 1919.
What is Bowling Green in New York?
Bowling Green is a small park at the foot of Broadway in lower Manhattan. It dates from the Dutch and colonial era and is among the oldest public parks in the city.
What kind of book is The Belle of Bowling Green?
It is a historical romance, a type of novel that sets a love story inside a real past time and place. This one uses old New York as its setting.
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