Synopses & Reviews
In
Twilight, award-winning novelist and poet Katherine Mosby weaves the unforgettable story of a woman's sexual and political awakening, in Paris, on the verge of World War II. Mosby, whose prose Time called "rich and accomplished," evokes in
Twilight a complex moment in history seen through the prism of a poignant love story.
By breaking off her engagement to an emotionally remote fiancé, Lavinia Gibbs avoids a stifling marriage -- but outrages her socially prominent family, who fear she has consigned herself to spinsterhood. Instead she sails for Europe to begin the process of rebuilding her life. Ever practical, Lavinia makes a new home in Paris, where she determines she needs more than beautiful architecture and entrée with the expats to make a full life. Lavinia wisely adds into the mix a pug and employment, but it is not until she meets the charming, enigmatic, and long-married Gaston Lesseur that she begins an extraordinary journey of self-discovery and sacrifice that will change her irrevocably.
With luminous prose, Mosby examines the emotional landscape of adultery while creating a powerful yet poignant depiction of a woman's unlikely blossoming. Unlike Flaubert's Madame Bovary, for whom adultery provided escape from an unfulfilling marriage, Lavinia Gibbs longs for the domestic and the luxury of the quotidian in an increasingly precarious world. Mosby creates in Twilight a story that will resonate with readers long after they have finished this book.
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“Tremendously ambitious...and impressive.” The New Yorker
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"Mosby has a true storyteller's voice." Boston Globe
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“Captivating...Lovely language and lively characters.” Salon.com
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“Mosby writes with fluid grace…her images are magical.” People
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“...finely wrought prose and unexpectedly moving portrait of a woman who loses her privileges and finds herself.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Readers who appreciate poetic language and psychologically complex portraits…will savor this.” Richmond Times-Dispatch
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“Intensely romantic. . . . Beautiful, full of rich, carefully chosen metaphors.” Washington Post Book World
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“A deceptively simple and tender novel...the story of a young American woman who (risks) everything for illicit love.” Seattle Times
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“Lyrical . . . moody, atmospheric . . . rich with a sense of longing . . . dark, seductive and worth visiting.” People (Three stars)
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“Impeccably rendered...Elegant, perceptive prose...Eloquence is paired with incisive content.” The Economist
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“Mosby has a true storytellers voice.” Boston Globe
About the Author
Katherine Mosby's previous works include a collection of poetry, The Book of Uncommon Prayer, and two novels. Her first novel, Private Altars, won the Book-of-the Month Club's Award for fiction and was aBarnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award finalist. Her second novel, The Season of Lillian Dawes, was selected by the New York Times as a 2002Notable Book of the Year and a Booksense Selection. She lives in New York and teaches at NYU's Stern Business School.