An American Girl in London

"An American Girl in London" by Sara Jeannette Duncan is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around Mamie Wick, an American girl from Chicago, as she embarks on a journey to London alone after her parents are unable to accompany her. Through her experiences, the book explores cultural contrasts, personal identity, and the unique perspective of an American girl navigating British society. At the start of the narrative, Mamie Wick introduces herself and sets the stage for her adventures in London. She discusses her upbringing, family background, and her motivations for travel, revealing her cheerful and inquisitive nature. As she sails towards her new destination, she grapples with feelings of loneliness and anticipation while reflecting on the curious impression the American girl has left on the English. Upon arrival, her interactions with various characters, from fellow passengers to her distant relative Mrs. Portheris, highlight the humorous and often bewildering cultural differences she encounters, establishing a foundation for the explorations and insights that will follow in her English adventures. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sara Jeannette Duncan was a Canadian author and journalist, who also published as Mrs. Everard Cotes and Garth Grafton among other names. First trained as a teacher in a normal school, she took to poetry early in life and after a brief teaching period worked as a travel writer for Canadian newspapers and a columnist for the Toronto Globe. Afterward she wrote for the Washington Post where she was put in charge of the current literature section. Later she made a journey to India and married an Anglo-Indian civil servant thereafter dividing her time between England and India. She wrote 22 works of fiction, many with international themes and settings. Her novels met with mixed acclaim and are rarely read today. In 2016, she was named a National Historic Person on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.