For a young society woman seeking a favorable marriage in the late 1890s, so much depends on her social season debut. Clara Carter has been given one goal: secure the affections of the city's most eligible bachelor. Debuting means plenty of work--there are corsets to be fitted, dances to master, manners to perfect. Her training soon pays off, however, as celebrity's spotlight turns Clara into a society-page darling.
Yet Clara wonders if this is the life she really wants, especially when she learns her best friend has also set her sights on Franklin De Vries. When a man appears who seems to love her simply for who she is, and gossip backlash turns ugly, Clara realizes it's not just her heart at stake--the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.
In the past, you may have read my opinions of [a:Siri Mitchell|5813022|Siri Mitchell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1545852717p2/5813022.jpg] and seen that I enjoy the writing, but that the story was imperceptibly depressing. I was shocked and appauled with the lack of soul in [b:Constant Heart, A|6648596|A Constant Heart|Siri Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328335698l/6648596._SY75_.jpg|2899170] yet the historical elements were incredible and the writing so true. It was in reading [b:Love's Pursuit|6668876|Love's Pursuit|Siri Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328337958l/6668876._SY75_.jpg|5948898] that each page was not able to turn fast enough and I was truly stumped until the end but still taken aback and frustrated with the circumstances and sadness of the situation. Yet [b:She Walks in Beauty|6605685|She Walks in Beauty|Siri Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1342575442l/6605685._SY75_.jpg|6799599] is a delight, a breath of fresh air, and quite the heart titillating beat within a prose of words met by the ear as poetry.
I loved this novel. Each page was another treasure. Every time I had to leave the novel and come back to the story it was as if I were returning to a friend. In years passed I have always wanted to read a tale about the Golden Age in New York City and this novel was not one to disappoint. Yes it had the historical details and some harsh facts which I have come to know Siri's books for. Yet this one has a heart and a soul with tons of personality that laced through the pages and made the next chapter more than just a little something worth coming back for.
Clara Carter is a debutante, and this is her story. It is a suspense, it is a hard life and facts historical, it is a romance, and it is a tragedy. I highly recommend it.
*Thanks to CFBA and Bethany House for providing a copy for review.*
Reading updates
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Started reading
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10 April, 2010:
Finished reading
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10 April, 2010:
Reviewed