TIFFANY BLUES

A talented artist with a complicated past is accepted into the prestigious fellowship program at Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Laurelton Hall, where she spends a summer exploring light and shadows in art and life.

Twenty-four-year-old Jenny Bell has had a difficult life. Her mother, Faith, an artist, was widowed before Jenny was born. When Faith was offered a job in Canada, they moved from Ithaca to Hamilton, Ontario, where Faith eventually married the Reverend, an abusive man who hid his darker tendencies from his adoring congregation. After a series of tragedies, Jenny made her way to Manhattan and befriended Minx, a fellow art student who comes from a wealthy family but has her own troubled past. Unbeknownst to Jenny, Minx submits work from both of them and they are accepted as fellows through the Tiffany Foundation and invited to spend eight weeks at Laurelton Hall on Long Island, “known as a paradise of light and color, art, and nature.” Jenny is not happy that Minx applied behind her back but decides it’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. Jenny settles in, honored to explore her talent and meet the great Mr. Tiffany and his (fictional) grandson, who may be her soul mate. Opening up about her past frees some deep fears, but then unnerving events make her wonder if someone is targeting her. Author Rose steps away from the magical elements that defined her recent titles and instead brings to life the enchanted setting of Laurelton Hall, its artists' colony, and the vibrant backdrop of New York’s Roaring '20s, applying her typical intricate plotting, sensuous descriptions, and abundant skill in blending fact, fiction, and a broad cast of distinctive characters to captivating effect.

A lush, mesmerizing story.