About the Book
In Depression-era Boston, a city divided by privilege and poverty, two unlikely friends are bound by a dangerous secret in this mesmerizing work of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfume Collector.
Maeve Fanning is a first generation Irish immigrant, born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston's North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and as headstrong as her red hair suggests, she's determined to better herself despite the overwhelming hardships of the Great Depression.
However, Maeve also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin--a rebellious appetite that soon finds her spiraling downward, leading a double life. When the strain proves too much, Maeve becomes an unwilling patient in a psychiatric hospital, where she strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic young woman, who, like Maeve, is unable or unwilling to control her un-lady-like desire for freedom.
Once out, Maeve faces starting over again. Armed with a bottle of bleach and a few white lies, she lands a job at an eccentric antiques shop catering to Boston's wealthiest and most peculiar collectors. Run by an elusive English archeologist, the shop is a haven of the obscure and incredible, providing rare artifacts as well as unique access to the world of America's social elite. While delivering a purchase to the wealthy Van der Laar family, Maeve is introduced to beautiful socialite Diana Van der Laar--only to discover she's the young woman from the hospital.
Reunited with the charming but increasingly unstable Diana and pursued by her attractive brother James, Mae becomes more and more entwined with the Van der Laar family--a connection that pulls her into a world of moral ambiguity and deceit, and ultimately betrayal. Bewitched by their wealth and desperate to leave her past behind, Maeve is forced to unearth her true values and discover how far she'll to go to reinvent herself.
About the Author :
Kathleen Tessaro is the author of Elegance, Innocence, The Flirt, and The Debutante. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and son.
Susan Bennett, Earphones Award-winning narrator, has enjoyed an extensive career as a vocal artist. She has worked with major agencies on such accounts as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, AT&T, Blue Cross, Goodyear, and Club Med. She also dabbles in the music industry as the singer and keyboardist for The Interactive! Band. Along with her guitarist husband, Rick Hinkle, she is the co-owner of Audiocam Music, a full-service recording studio.
Review :
"Rare Objects is a delicious novel by the imaginative and deft Kathleen Tessaro, who creates unforgettable worlds, and within them, compelling characters who stay with the reader long after she reaches the end. Maeve Fanning is resourceful, loaded with ambition and pluck, but also burdened with an insatiable appetite for more, whether it's romance, booze, or the beautiful things a life of luxury provides. This novel turns like the delicate ballerina on a music box; rich in detail, you can't take your eyes off of her, and like Maeve, you shouldn't, as there is much to savor in the dance."
-- "Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author"
"A beautifully written, thoroughly absorbing novel, full of rich historical detail and intriguing characters."
-- "Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author"
"Set in Depression-era Boston, Kathleen Tessaro's lovely novel about prized possessions, slick façades, broken lives, and a young woman with a past is a treasure!"
-- "Stephanie Lehmann, author of Astor Place Vintage"
"Tessaro overlays a historical setting and antiquated moral code onto some very modern-feeling situations...Tessaro's complicated heroines--and the shattering reveal of secret after secret--will keep readers guessing until the final page."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Tessaro's eye for historical detail is impressive, blending the fashion, music, and cultural attitudes of 1930s Boston into a richly layered story. Readers of her previous work will recognize the author's spin on the fish-out-of-water trope, cleverly crafted with a beguiling heroine amid sumptuous scenery. Rare Objects examines the fragility of self-preservation and the power of personal reinvention."
-- "Booklist"
