THE SOCIAL GRACES by Renee Rosen - REVIEW

 


Historical Fiction author, Renee Rosen once again sweeps readers into a very specific time in American life - The Gilded Age of 1876 - 1910, in her new novel, THE SOCIAL GRACES (Berkley). It was a period of rapid economic growth and all that went with it. Mark Twain coined the term "The Gilded Age" because everything was glittering on the surface of society, but there was corruption and suffering underneath. THE SOCIAL GRACES explores the battle between Mrs. Caroline Astor, leader of the old-moneyed Knickerbockers and Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt, nouveau riche and despised by the upper crust. Both were waging a war to control New York Society.

Readers are swept away by the many over-the-top balls in Manhattan and summer in Newport "cottages," the size of museums. The Suffrage movement is only in its infancy so wealthy women, their clothes and jewelry are still the property of their husbands and divorce "never" happens in polite society. That's a main reason why the control to be the top doyenne overseeing "the swells" is so important. It is the one area women control their fates.

THE SOCIAL GRACES explores mother-daughter relationships, as well as those of sisters. Rosen's prose are so light and fluid and the characters pop off the pages. I always enjoy learning about a period of time when I know the research is accurate. Renee has never let readers down with her impeccable ability to capture a time and place, as well as make certain her novels are enjoyable.


Renee Rosen is the bestselling author of historical fiction. Her novels include Park Avenue Summer,Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot.

Renee is a native of Akron, Ohio and a graduate of The American University in Washington DC.  She now lives in Chicago where she is at work on a new novel.

She frequently visits with book clubs (either in person or via Zoom/ Skype/ FaceTime) and is available for speaking engagements once we are Covid free. 

www.reneerosen.com

THE SOCIAL GRACES will be published April 20th. You can pre-order your copy

THE SOCIAL GRACES 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW I'LL KILL YOU by Ren DeStefano - Spotlight

Image
  Make him want you. Make him love you. Make him dead. In Ren DeStafano's novel, HOW I'LL KILL YOU (Berkley), i dentical triplets have a nasty habit of killing their boyfriends, and see what happens when the youngest commits their worst crime yet: falling in love with her mark. Sissy has an...interesting family. Always the careful one, always the cautious one, she has handled the cleanup while her serial killer sisters have carved a path of carnage across the U.S. Now, as they arrive in the Arizona heat, Sissy must step up and embrace the family pastime of making a man fall in love and then murdering him. Her first target? A young widower named Edison—and their mutual attraction is instant.  Then something happens that Sissy never anticipated: She begins to feel protective of Edison, and before she can help it, she’s fallen in love. But the clock is ticking, and her sisters are growing restless. It becomes clear that the gravesite she chooses will hide a body no matter what ha...
Read more

INSTAMOM by Chanel Guertin - Review & Giveaway

Image
It's the influencer's golden rule: know your niche. In INSTAMOM (KensingtonBooks) by Chantel Guertin, Kit Kidding knows her audience. Kit promotes living and enjoying a childfree life in her instagram account hashtag #childfree. Kit believes women who choose not to become mothers and not to have children should not be judged or feel guilty.  But things change when Kit meets a smart and sexy dad with a daughter. She's smitten by Will MacGregor and his whip-smart darling eight year-old daughter, Maddie. Kit's picture perfect childfree life faces being turned completely upside down. You know where this is heading so I won't tell you anymore. Except to say, that INSTAMOM is about love and making life choices. It's about being true to yourself and being able to change, even though it may modify everything you once thought was true. It's a fun romcom you'll want to put in your summer bag and take to the pool or beach. Remember to always wear sunscreen. Chantel...
Read more

THE GHOST CAT by Alex Howard - Spotlight & Excerpt

Image
  A charming novel f or fans of  Before the Coffee Gets Cold  and  How to Stop Time ,  following a cat through his nine lives in Edinburgh, moving through the ever-changing city and its inhabitants over centuries Early morning, 1902. At 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, Grimalkin the cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat and lick his favorite human's hand. But this is to be his last day on earth…before he becomes the Ghost Cat. Follow Grimalkin as he witnesses the changes of the next 120 years, prowling unseen among the inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement while unearthing some startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time and the true meaning of feline companionship. HERE'S AN EXCERPT OF THE GHOST CAT FIRST HAUNTING,  APRIL 1909  On the morning of his first haunting, Grimalkin felt supple and alive; more alive, in fact, than ...
Read more