Synopsis

She has one last chance to prove she chose the right course for her life.

In 1908, young Dorothy Tuckerman chafes under the bland, beige traditions of her socialite circles. Only the aristocracy’s annual summer trips to the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia spark her imagination. In this naturally beautiful place, an unexpected romance with an Italian racecar driver gives Dorothy a taste of the passion and adventure she wants. But her family intervenes, sentencing Dorothy to the life she hopes to escape.

Thirty-eight years later, as World War II draws to a close, Dorothy has done everything a woman in the early twentieth century should not: she has divorced her husband—scandalous—and established America’s first interior design firm—shocking. Now, Dorothy returns to the Greenbrier with the assignment to restore it to something even greater than its original glory. With her beloved company’s future hanging in the balance and brimming with daring, unconventional ideas, Dorothy has one more chance to give her dreams wings or succumb to her what society tells her is her inescapable fate.

Based on the true story of famed designer Dorothy Draper, The Greenbrier Resort is a moving tale of one woman’s quest to transform the walls that hold her captive.

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This book releases May 17th, pre-order your copy today

Review

I know I am not going to do this book justice with my review, but this book is AMAZING! The book captured the old-world elegance of the early 1900s when everyone was much more proper, women were presented to society, and marriages were arranged, but sometimes the heart falls in love with another person or place. That is the case for Dorothy Draper, an infamous American Designer from 1923 until the 1960s.

I do love a good historical fiction book about a real person from history. I learn so much about the time and the person. While it is fiction, many of the basic facts are true such as her career and the company she created, and her marriage, divorce, and children. I always love to read the author’s notes when it comes to a book like this to learn where they drew their information, what is fact vs fiction, and what twists they added to make it an intriguing story. If nothing else, this type of book always has me searching the internet for more details about the main character.

The early 1900s was an elegant time where women were dressed to the nines, men were in suits, and people would vacation for months at a time at resorts like The Greenbriar which is depicted in this novel. I loved reading about the dances, races, picnics, and so much more that were part of their daily lives.

The fictional part of this story is a love connection between Dorothy and Enzo during the summer of 1908. They don’t end up together (well because he is not real) but the story is beautifully told and while I suspected the ending, I almost thought it wasn’t going to be as I imagined due to some other factors that came into play.

I admire Dorothy and what she stood for and really pioneered the way for women designers. I loved that she wanted color and for a room to be fun and relaxing and not dark and dreary as The Greenbriar was prior to her makeover after WWII. There are times when Dorothy acted like a child, but I understood her frustration with life and what was expected of her as a woman at that time. I thank her and all of the other women that came before me that made an effort to make sure that we were heard and not taken lightly or dismissed out of hand.

I had a hard time putting this book down and highly recommend it and give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Joy Callaway’s love of storytelling is a direct result of her parents’ insistence that she read books or write stories instead of watching TV. Her interest in family history was fostered by her relatives’ habit of recounting tales of ancestors’ lives. Joy is a full-time mom and writer. She formerly served as a marketing director for a wealth management company. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations from Marshall University and an M.M.C. in Mass Communication from the University of South Carolina. She resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband, John, and her children, Alevia and John.

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