An entertaining glimpse into Manhattan’s 19th-century high society and the conflict between tradition and innovation.
In New York City’s Gilded Age, one family struggles to maintain their place among the other members of high society.
Despite her prestigious Dutch roots and copious family money, Helen Maitland wasn't particularly popular among the eligible bachelors of Manhattan, and she was at risk of ending up a spinster. Then she fell for Joshua Wilcox, a country boy who lived near her family’s summer home. Her mother would surely have forbidden the match, but after discovering Helen in a compromising position, she has no choice but to allow the marriage to proceed. Years later, in 1874, it’s time for Helen and Joshua to present their eldest daughter, Jemima, to society, and Helen worries that her husband’s subpar pedigree may jeopardize Jemima’s chance at an advantageous match. Worse yet, Joshua has made poor financial decisions, and the consequences seem to be bearing out at the worst possible time. As the family falls from riches to rags, invitations to social events quickly dwindle, as do friendly visits from other members of Manhattan’s elite. In addition, both Jemima and her younger sister, Alice, have begun developing feelings for specific gentlemen who are clearly outside the purview of their mother’s desires for them. As this novel of manners meanders forward, the narrative shifts perspectives frequently, offering insights from many of the different characters, including Joshua and Helen, both of their daughters, and other members of the New York gentry. Characters travel around town to Washington Square Park, Delmonico’s, the opera, and other exciting locales, treating readers to many delightful details about Manhattan in the latter part of the 19th century. Character development and plot movement are strongest in the first third of the novel, after which the pace slows considerably. Even so, fans of Bridgerton and Downton Abbey will delight in this period piece and its plethora of charming details about fabrics, dance cards, and decorum.
An entertaining glimpse into Manhattan’s 19th-century high society and the conflict between tradition and innovation.Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-525-54002-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.
A recently divorced writer juggles a chaotic full house, a struggling career, and a confusing romantic life.
Lila Kennedy thought she had the perfect family—a loving mother, a doting stepfather, two wonderful daughters, and a great husband. She even wrote a self-help book about repairing a marriage, which was published a mere two weeks before her husband left her. After her own mother’s sudden death, Lila finds herself an unexpected single mom with her health-nut stepfather, Bill, for a roommate. When her long-absent actor father, Gene, moves in, things go from crowded to chaotic. When Gene isn’t talking about his memories of starring on a Star Trek–like television show, he’s starting fights with Bill. Perhaps the worst part is that Lila’s supposed to produce a new book about the unexpected direction her life has taken. She quickly finds that writing about her real-life romantic exploits (including the kind gardener Bill hired and the sexy single dad she lusts after at school pick-up) and the actual heartbreak that upended her family is easier said than done. Moyes creates a world that is believable and funny. It’s hilarious to read about the distinct characters in Lila’s life—such as her lentil-loving stepfather and egocentric biological father—interacting with each other. There’s plenty of drama here, but none of it feels forced. It all comes from flawed people doing their best to coexist and making plenty of mistakes along the way. Moyes combines the warmth of an Annabel Monaghan rom-com with the humanity of a Catherine Newman novel, creating a story that will provoke tears and laughter.
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781984879325
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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