Laughing Last

The story centers around Sidney Romley, a 15-year-old girl who feels alienated as the daughter of a renowned poet and longs for adventure and the freedoms that come with it. The narrative explores themes of rebellion against familial expectations, the struggle for identity, and the quest for belonging in a world that often feels constraining. The opening of the book introduces readers to Sidney's conflict with her family dynamics, particularly regarding her claim to what they call "the Egg," a financial allowance stemming from their father's royalties. This launch into rebellion hints at deeper layers of her dissatisfaction, where she dreams of leaving her small-town life behind for new experiences and adventures. As the chapters unfold, we follow her interactions with her sisters, who embody various attitudes toward their life as daughters of a poet, while Sidney yearns for a taste of life beyond the confines of her upbringing. This sets the stage for her eventual journey to discover her identity through her connections to long-lost relatives and to seize the adventure she has always craved.

She began writing children's books when her own children were young and moved on to write adult novels. Many of her books were primarily created for females, although they appealed to the entire family. Jane Ludlow Drake was born on July 10, 1881, in Buffalo, New York, to Captain Marcus Motier Drake and Mary A. Ludlow, his second wife. Her family was active in shipbuilding and sailing, so Jane spent a lot of her childhood on and near the Great Lakes.