The Lightning Conductor

 The Lightning Conductor by C.N. Williamson and A.M. Williamson, 344 pages.

This book was published in 1903, and follows young Molly Randolph's adventures touring Europe in the very early days of the automobile. She, her Aunt May, and their "chauffeur" Brown drive through much of France and Italy, taking in historic sites and the countryside. Chauffeur in the least sentence is in scare quotes because Brown is in fact in English lord in disguise, who decided to get himself hired as Molly's chauffeur after being struck by her beauty (a plan that is clearly very thought out and definitely won't lead to any problems later).

I had this epistolary novel sent to my email in real time matching the dates on the letters (which took about three months), and was shocked at how contemporary it felt. Molly's letters in particular were charming, and I found her to be a wonderful character. She had a way of writing that made me actually take an interest in French scenery. The book is part travelogue and part romantic comedy, and both parts work really well together. My only complaint is that the end was very abrupt.

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