The Page clan has two excellent authors in it. I first got to know them by reading Libby Page’s books. Her first, Mornings with Rosemary or The Lido (depending on where a person lives) became a real favorite. It was after Libby was a published author that her mother Sally began her career as a novelist.
Sally Page’s two earlier novels, The Keeper of Stories, and The Book of Beginnings, were warm hearted and good reads. Now, she offers us The Secret of Flowers.
Fun fact: this author has a lot of experience with floristry so what better than a new novel with lots about flowers.
The story’s protagonist is Emma. She has been widowed and has turned in on herself. She decides to go to a lecture about the Titanic with a friend. This sparks her curiosity about the flowers on the ship and the story takes off from there.
Anyone who enjoys women’s fiction will, I think, want to take a look at this one and the other novels by the author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 25 February 2024
Note: As I write this post on 19 March 2025, this title is under $3.00 on Amazon if a reader needs more incentive.
Not long ago, I read and reviewed Under the Southern Sky. I very much enjoyed that book and am glad to say that I think that Beach House Rules will also be a delight to the author’s audience.
When reading novels, I always look to meet people with whom I want to spend time. The parents and children who live at the mommune fit the bill.
To back up, Charlotte’s husband is in jail as the story begins. He is a high flyer whom Charlotte loves and who provided for his wife and daughter very well. Is he guilty of the financial crimes of which he is accused? While this waits to be resolved, Charlotte and teen daughter, Iris, are cast adrift. Alice sees Charlotte in a moment of supreme meltdown at the bank and offers that they could stay at the mommune.
There live a group of mothers and children who need a bit of help. Alice, who has her own backstory, offers this. In addition to Charlotte and Iris, there are several other families there and readers get to know all of them. What will be revealed about them both as individuals and in any connections that they may share?
I liked the way that the narrative was structured. Each chapter is told from a character’s point of view. Interspersed are postings from a gossip site. What trouble will this unleash?
This is a very readable book that I very much enjoyed. It seems like a perfect summer read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
A Novel of Nancy Mitford and the Pursuit of Happiness
by Eliza Knight
#TheMayfairBookshop #NetGalley
The Mitford family seem to be enjoying a renaissance on TV and in books. There was a recent miniseries with Lily James and, not long ago, I read both The Bookseller’s Secret and the latest entry in Jessica Fellows’ historical mystery series that features Nancy and her siblings.
For anyone who may not know, the Mitford daughters were fascinating and so different from each other. Diana left her husband, a Guinness heir, to be with the Fascist, Oswald Moseley. Unity was enamored of Hitler. Nancy was an author and there were also, Jessica and Deborah.
Happily I did not suffer from Mitford fatigue and I thoroughly enjoyed Eliza Knight’s novel. As is popular now, there are two timelines. In the present, Lucy is a book curator from Washington DC who is spending time in England. She is fascinated with the Heywood Hill bookshop where Nancy Mitford once worked. Lucy also has a connection to someone Nancy almost married.
Lucy is a huge Mitford fan. She possesses some Mitford letters and her mother, who is no longer alive, had a valuable edition of one of Nancy’s novels.
While in England, Lucy visits the Mitford home. This is beautifully described and made me long to see the real location. Lucy’s quest is to discern who the Iris in a dedication in one of Nancy’s novels is.
In the historical timeline, Hitler is on the horizon. As noted above, some of the sisters are not pro democracy. Nancy does attend a rally at Diana’s urging although she is clearly not a “Black Shirt.”
Readers get to know Nancy well. They vicariously see her pre-marriage lifestyle in the smart set. Readers watch Nancy in love with the ensuing disappointment, marriage and compromise. They also witness Nancy writing her novels, working at the bookstore and trying to support herself (husband Peter does not do well in the work world).
I very much enjoyed my time at The Mayfair Bookshop. I recommend this novel to those who enjoy historical novels and/or women’s fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House for this title. All opinions are my own.
The two friends of this book are Georgia O’Keeffe and Anita Pollitzer. One of these names was quite familiar to me for her artistic works. The other was new to me. Among the many things that I learned was that Pollitzer was very active in the suffrage movement. She also introduced O’Keeffe to Steiglitz.
These two knew each other in a relationship that had both its ups and downs as this well written book reveals. Initially, Georgia did not take to Anita but they then became close, before later having a friendship with some cracks.
This book is noteworthy for showcasing the accomplishments of two women who were living at a time in which women struggled to achieve and be respected. It offers a reminder of how far we have (hopefully) come.
Bennett’s book is written in a very readable style. I especially enjoyed the excerpts from the letters that are included here.
It was illuminating to learn more about a woman whom I had only known for her art and connection to Steiglitz when there was so much more to her story. Since I knew nothing of Anita, reading about her life and experiences was intriguing.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the University of Nebraska Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 01 May 2025
214 pages
Biographies & Memoirs-History
Editorial Reviews
Review
“About eminent painter Georgia O’Keeffe and Anita Pollitzer, a trailblazer of the American suffragist movement, Liza Bennett’s rich biography Georgia and Anita covers a dynamic, tragic friendship.”—Isaac Randel, Foreword Reviews
“Liza Bennett’s luminous and absorbing exploration of the friendship between a painter of genius and a women’s rights activist during the morning years of the twentieth century rings absolutely true to its era while beautifully evoking the power and urgency of a new kind of American art being born.”—Richard Snow, author of Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World
“A masterpiece, an exquisitely told story of love, art, feminism, family, and the making of the modern age, propelled by the deep and turbulent current of a decades-long friendship between two extraordinary women.”—Frederick E. Allen, former editor at American Heritage and New York magazines
“An important contribution to the literature on women’s friendship. While much has been written about Georgia O’Keeffe, woman artist, little is known of her lifelong bond with a central figure in the fight for the ballot, Anita Pollitzer. This is their riveting story.”—Ellen Feldman, author of Lucy and Terrible Virtue
“Beautifully written, by turns funny, inspiring, and poignant, this is the true story of two American women—one famous, one little known today—who changed the world. A narrative of friendship, devotion, and, ultimately, betrayal.”—Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland–This text refers to the paperback edition.
Patti Callahan Henry is one of my absolute favorite authors. Ever since reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis I have been a fan. The Secret Book of Flora Lea was one of the most enjoyable books that I read last year. And now, there is The Story She Left Behind. It is another triumph of emotional storytelling.
The novel opens in the U.S. in the 1950s and takes place between there and England. Readers meet Clara Harrington and her daughter Wynnie. They are very close as was Clara to her own mother before she disappeared. What happened to her is a central theme in the novel.
Clara’s mother (based on a real person), Bronwyn, was a writer with a vivid imagination. In fact, she created not only her own fictional world but a language. Her famous novel was published when she was very young. The dictionary that will decode the language has been missing ever since Bronwyn went away.
The author makes clear that Bronwyn had struggles. However, there was no indication that she would vanish. The loss has been pivotal in Clara’s life.
Out of nowhere, Clara hears from Charlie (in London) who has found some belongings of Bronwyn among his father’s papers. The story is set when Clara and Wynnie travel to meet Charlie and are immediately enveloped in the devastating fog of 1952.
No spoilers so no more plot. I will just say that this novel has everything I want in a book. The characters, the vividly described settings and the story all kept me both wanting to turn the pages and not wanting to as I did not want to finish the book. I recommend this title most highly. I am already wishing for Henry’s next book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down. I wanted to know, needed to know, about the strange manuscript left to a daughter, and the odyssey it sent her on.” –Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 