Point of View

The Davenports is written from a third-person limited point of view, oscillating between the experiences of Olivia, Helen, Ruby, and Amy-Rose. The author chooses to employ this lens in order to explore the individual experiences of the four women without putting a hierarchy on their narratives. Throughout the novel, the third person limited voice gives equal precedent to each character as they pursue love, independence, and friendship. If the author had written The Davenports through a first-person lens, of a singular character, the narrative focus would have prioritized the experience of one of the women over the others. Instead, the third person limited allows Marquis to examine how love, societal expectation, and class impact the Davenport daughters as well as their friend and maid. Helen and Olivia contend with similar familial dynamics, as sisters, and must individually balance pleasing their parents and following their desires...