Miss Havilland, A Novel

Spanning both world wars and crisscrossing the U.S. and the Atlantic, Miss Havilland, by Gay Daly, is the story of a brilliant mathematician who must decide her purpose in life—and live with her difficult choices. 

Inspired by the true story of the author’s tough-minded cousin, the story begins in California at the turn of the twentieth century, when a female student of mathematics was a rare curiosity.  With the U.S. entering World War I, the fictional Evelyn is drafted by the government to go to Washington D.C. to become one of the first women involved in cryptography and military spycraft.

Compelled to wartime France to follow the man she loves, Evelyn ends up working in dangerous conditions near the front lines. Daly conveys the poignancy of Miss Havilland’s passion in the midst of so much violence, and her ability to find charm in life despite suffering.

In time, the events of the war force Miss Havilland to choose between her closest childhood companion and the man who wants to marry her. While one man faces a lifetime of recovery from the ravages of war, the other bides his time waiting for her decision.