The Downstairs Girl

Jo Kuan is leading a double life. By day, she works as a quiet lady's maid, but by night, she's the voice behind the most radical advice column in 1890s Atlanta.

Jo is used to living life on the margins - invisible except for the occasional looks of disdain and derisive comments - but she won't let it hold her back. While her priority is making sure that she and her father, Old Gin, remain safe in their hideaway beneath a print shop, she still has ambition. And strong opinions of her own that she begins to share in a newspaper advice column under the pseudonym 'Miss Sweetie'. Suddenly, all of Atlanta is talking about her ideas, although little do they know that the witty advice on relationships, sewing and horse races comes from a penniless Chinese girl.

As curiosity about Miss Sweetie mounts, Jo's secret identity may not stay secret for much longer. And as she learns more of the hard truths about her identity and her country, she must find the courage to decide between being herself or staying invisible . . .

'A jewel of a story' Candace Fleming

'Clever, funny and poignant' Evelyn Skye