“I’ve done what I know is best for my children. To be colored in America is a burden that I don’t want them to have to shoulder.”

Another great historical fiction novel inspired by the real life of Belle da Costa Greene, a well known art and book figure in New York who was also the personal librarian of J.P. Morgan. This was the first I’ve ever heard of Belle da Costa Greene and while some of the events in the book are fictionalized I still found her to be an extraordinary character and very outspoken. Back during a time when color passing was prevalent Belle went through great lengths to conceal her identity in order to succeed and provide for her family.

The pacing starts off a bit slow in the beginning and nothing major jumps off the page so this took me longer to get through than I expected. But halfway in things get better and the novel picks up because our FMC gets a little bolder and decides to sleep with a married man. At that point I was hooked lol the decisions Belle made really frustrated me. I just knew somehow her true identity was going to be revealed after everything that happened.

Overall, it was pretty decent and well-written. A little long winded and not as exciting as other historical fiction books I’ve come across but it was still a great read so I recommend!!!!

Rating: 3.75⭐️