3.5 stars for me. This gets rounded up to four because of the background of the writing of the novel. I found it very interesting that this was based on the author's ancestors. It was obvious that she did a good amount of research crafting this story.

This is a historical fiction with some romantic elements. It follows Virginia Loftin as she attempts to create a successful writing career in New York at the turn of the 20th century.

There were several things I liked about this book. The first was that the book takes place in America in the late 1800s. I just feel like it isn't necessarily an oft-explored time/place and I enjoyed that.

I thought the characters were fairly well-written, especially Virginia (which she should be, considering it's written in first person). I also really enjoyed the world-building. The descriptions were very clear and interesting, and I liked the idea of a place where creative men and women met to share their love of art and literature.


My major issue with this novel is that it seemed to drag near the end. There was a big revelation about 120 pages from the end of the book. This revelation changes the landscape of the novel completely. After that point, there really isn't a lot of action, and it does seem to drag.

Also, I never felt convinced by the romance between Virginia and John. For the first part of their relationship, she mostly seems to just feel awkward because of her feelings for someone else. Then I turn the page and she is saying that she is deeply in love. I just didn't feel it. I would've liked a little more development of their romance.