Witty, sharp, and confident, Emma McChesney is a fierce heroine. Following a bitter divorce, she sets out against all odds as a travelling saleswoman so she can support herself and her son. Roast Beef, Medium - The Business Adventures of Emma McChesney is the first book in Edna Ferber's trilogy. It's 1911, and our 36-year-old heroine has just struggled through an awful divorce. Now alone with her 17-year-old son, Jock, Emma McChesney becomes the only travelling saleswoman for a New York skirts and petticoats company, T. A. Buck's Featherbloom Petticoats. Her life suddenly revolves around train journeys and dirty hotel stays. She must ward off her male colleagues' unwanted advances while they persistently tell her that her career isn't suitable for a woman. Strong-willed and sharp-tongued, Emma McChesney represents many hardworking single mothers in early twentieth-century America. First published in 1913, Edna Ferber's comedic novel highlights her famous wit and is not to be missed by fans of her work.