Summer Reads: The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race

Redemption Press; 348 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

I have a bad habit of choosing new books to read by just their cover art alone, and that happens to be exact case with The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race by Mike H. Mizrahi. I didn't even read the blurb for the book before I signed up to review it. I made my decision strictly on the cover alone.

Set in 1895, the novel centers on nineteen-year-old Anna Gaines, a young woman who's still conquering her fears after being thrown off her horse years ago. After visiting her aunt in Brooklyn, she takes up a new pastime called bicycling, which is something she would have never attempted back home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the sport is scandalous for southern women. Any sports activity is strictly for men. However, Anna is determined to change things after she returns home.

This is a romance tale, so of course there is a male lead in the story, which happens to be Peter Sawyer, owner of the local grocery store and the president of the Cycling Club. He has been eyeing Anna for awhile, but every time she walks into his store, she just ignores him. After learning about her plans of trying to change the society's rules against women cycling, he supports her, even though he's jeopardizing his future in the Cycling Club.

Final Thoughts: I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that's exactly what I did with The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race. The cover art has a vintage look to it, and I wanted to review the book without knowing what it was actually about; though I had a pretty good idea the plot involved cycling.

Sometimes it takes me a few chapters to get into a story, but I was glued to this one after reading the first paragraph. The novel is written from the third person point-of-view, and the author does a good job with the narration. The characters are well-written, and, most importantly, are all likeable. The plot is intriguing, the descriptions are nicely done, and the pacing flows perfectly.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race. It's a cleverly written novel that I read fairly quickly, and I recommend it to other readers.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. 




About the Author: Mike H. Mizrahi began his career as an author after retiring from a successful corporate career. Mike and his wife Karen reside in Woodland Hills, California, where they raised their two adults children. He enjoys reading, writing, hiking and traveling. Visit him at mikehmizrahi.com.