Vera Longacre, born
to wealth and high society, finds her life as a society matron
unbearable. She tells her mother that she's lonely, but it's much
more than that. She has money, is a leader in society, and lives at
the most prestigious address in Manhattan. But she's married to a
cold man who offers her little affection and the teas and charity
dinners don't fill her days with pleasure.
When she attended
Vassar, she befriended Bea Stillman, a lively young woman who
challenged Vera to get out of her perfect rut and live. Vera does.
She feels freedom for the first time. The taste is intoxicating, but
the consequences are disastrous.
Now married and
secure in her position, Vera longs for the freedom of that long ago
period, but she buries it under a placid facade and her duties until
Emil Hallan, an artist contracted to paint a mural in the building
where Vera lives, comes into her life and reawakens her youthful
desires.
I couldn't help
liking Vera and feeling sad for her until she allowed herself to
break from the rigid social structure in which she was raised and
reach for freedom. The setting was very well done. It was the 20's
before WWII. Wealthy people lived to a code of existence that was
founded in the restrictions of the Victorian Era. Vera felt the
chains, but couldn't break free until ten years into her cold
marriage.
The story is told in
alternating chapters: first Vera in her marriage, then in her days at
Vassar. Her special friend from Vassar, Bea Stillman, is an
interesting character. From the chapters you can't tell whether she
likes Vera for herself, or whether she's clinging to someone who
might open doors for her later. Vera, of course, is not sure and
that's part of her conflict.
I enjoyed the book
including the mysteries at the end. If you like a character driven
novel set in an interesting time period, I think you'll enjoy this
book.
I received this book
from Blogging for Books for this review.
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