Do you remember what it’s like to graduate from high school or college? Maybe you had a job lined up and knew what you were going to do. Maybe you couldn’t find a job and tried everything to get the job.
Summary of The Marshall Plan
Molly Marshall is one of those graduates who can’t find a job. She earned a graduate degree. Six months later, she still can’t find a job in journalism.
Instead she works on a food truck, a job she hates. She is in a relationship with a young man that’s she not sure she loves anymore, and she deals with memories from her past.
Thoughts on the novel
The Marshall Plan by Olivia Folmar Ard is a prime example of why I enjoy women’s fiction so much and why I write in the genre myself.
Thinking back to my younger days, I could definitely relate to Molly. I walked away from college with a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license. I didn’t get my first teaching job until eight years later.
And I was part of a reduction of teachers the two years I did teach.
I loved the way Olivia created a realistic character in Molly. As I learned more and more about her, I could see some of myself in her. In fact, my bachelor’s is even part in journalism. I think this is why I did enjoy the book so much. I could relate the main character because at times I felt like I could have stepped into shoes.
Once I got a few pages into The Marshall Plan, I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what Molly was going to do next or what would happen to her.
The secret Molly learned intrigued me and gave a nice twist to the plot. And, of course, I wanted to know what happened so I couldn’t put the book down at that point.
Watching Molly grow from a naive young girl to a more grown up and mature young woman was the best part.
Seeing Molly’s determination to find a job in journalism made me all the more determined to find some freelancing jobs of my own and do the writing I feel I was born to do.
Being a young adult is tough, and Olivia did a great job of showing us how tough it can be. If you enjoy women’s fiction or realistic situations in fiction, then I would highly recommend this novel.