Synopses & Reviews
From the acclaimed writer of Private Altars, comes a story of driving lyrical force set in Manhattan in the 1950s. When he is expelled from boarding school, Gabriel Gibbs is sent to live with his older brother Spencer in New York. Rather than a punishment, this becomes an exhilarating invitation to a dazzling world, from smoking cigars at the Plaza Hotel to weekend house parties filled with tennis and cocktails. It is in this heady atmosphere -- from white-gloved Park Avenue to literary Greenwich Village -- that Gabriel first glimpses the elusive Lillian Dawes. Free-spirited and mysterious, Lillian captures the imaginations of those in "all the best circles," including both brothers. As their lives entwine, so begins the powerful and poignant unraveling of innocence.
Review
“…effortless and seductive…” Baltimore Sun
Review
“Tremendously ambitious…and impressive.” The New Yorker on PRIVATE ALTARS
Review
“Mosby shows an extraordinary gift. A.” Entertainment Weekly
Review
"Mosby has a true storyteller's voice." Boston Globe on PRIVATE ALTARS
Review
“…a wistful fairy-tale.” Seattle Times
Review
“Mosbys elegant, poetic prose is as smooth and shimmering as velvet.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“A charming novel with needlesharp wit and the lingering aroma of youthful infatuation.” Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife
Review
“Enchanting, heartfelt, haunting.” The Charlotte Observer
Review
“Mosbys rich, elegant writing makes this novel memorable.” Booklist
Review
“…An unusual, extraordinary work that there is really nothing to compare it to in contemporary fiction.” Madison Smartt Bell
Review
“A fairy tale of enormous charm.” Annabel Davis & #150;Goff, author of This Cold Country
Review
“Mosby writes with fluid grace…her images are magical.” People on PRIVATE ALTARS
Review
“Mosby writes like no one working today.” New York Newsday
Review
“Rich and accomplished.” Time Magazine on PRIVATE ALTARS
Review
“Intensely romantic…sings with a music seldom found in contemporary writing.” Richmond Times-Dispatch
Review
“A pleasure to read.” Orlando Sentinel
Review
“Mosby has an impeccable way with narration and dialogue”. USA Today
Review
“Mosby has a true storytellers voice.” Boston Globe on PRIVATE ALTARS
About the Author
Katherine Mosby's previous works include a collection of poetry, The Book of Uncommon Prayer, and two novels, Private Altars and The Season of Lillian Dawes, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She lives in New York City and teaches at New York University's Stern Business School.