A tour de force of history and imagination, The Lady and the Unicorn is Tracy Chevalier’s answer to the mystery behind one of the art world’s great masterpieces—a set of bewitching medieval tapestries that hangs today in the Cluny Museum in Paris. They appear to portray the seduction of a unicorn, but the story behind their making is unknownâ...more
This 1859 novel, set during the Luddite riots, is centered on the character of Robert Moore, a mill-owner who, despite the outrage of his workers, introduces new machinery at his mill--an act that ends in violence. In an effort to recoup his losses, Moore courts Shirley Keeldar, an heiress, despite his love for his cousin Caroline, who is poor but ...more
This is a tale of Dives and Lazarus, of the comfortable pinnacle and the miserable base of the Victorian social pyramid. It is told, however, without simplification and without hatred.
Of late years an abundant shower of curates has fallen upon the north of England: they lie very thick on the hills; every parish has one or more of them; they are young enough to be very active, and ought to be doing a great deal of good. But not of late years are we about to speak; we are going back to the beginning of this century: late years -- ...more
"An impressive debut, full of lean and lyrical prose."—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times Book Review Ramchand, a tired shop assistant in Sevak Sari House in Amritsar, spends his days patiently showing yards of fabric to the women of "status families" and to the giggling girls who dream of dressing up in silk but can only afford cotton. When Ram...more
Spending unfulfilling days working in a fabric shop in Amritsar, Ramchand is sent to a new part of the city to show samples to a wealthy family, an experience that shows him a different way of life and compels him to pursue the dreams of his childhood.
Lights of Lowell book 1. Tapestry of Hope weaves together the heartrending and hope-building stories of two young women. Jasmine Wainwright is the sheltered daughter of a Mississippi plantation owner. When her father strikes a deal to sell his cotton to Lowell mills through businessman Bradley Houston, he throws an arranged marriage with Jasmine in...more
Jasmine Houston, a widow with a young son, agrees to harbor former slaves at her horse farm outside of Lowell, even though her father, a plantation owner, supports slavery. When a boardinghouse keeper unwittingly becomes involved with a traveling peddler who sells something infinitely more valuable than shoes, Jasmine is devastated to discover that...more