Marjorie Grant’s 1921 Novel “Latchkey Ladies”

I recently read Latchkey Ladies by Marjorie Grant, a Canadian writer first published in 1921. Set around the end of WW1 in 1918, the novel follows Anne Carey, one of the “latchkey ladies” of the title. These are young women who live independently, working and renting rooms. Anne is rather conventional and doesn’t particularly love this way of life. She is engaged to a young man serving in the army, but Anne is bored with him. As we follow Anne’s story, we meet several other young women who she befriends at the Mimosa club, a kind of women’s hostel. One of these is Petunia, an entirely different kettle of fish. There is some question over Petunia’s background – most recently she was a chorus girl – and these questions are discussed in ways which become rather uncomfortable. Anne also meets Philip Dampier, a married man and well-known playwright whose work she has admired. The two become friends, and eventually begin an affair. Latchkey Ladies is an enthralling read that gives an authentic flavour of London life and society at the end of WW1. It is a great novel about women during this period and I highly recommend it to any book blogger looking for a good read!