The future of Lily van Velsen, San Francisco pearl "doctor" and gemologist, looks assured, given her recent engagement to her goodnatured colleague Alan Purdue. But once she begins reading the diaries that recount many of her ancestors' illicit romances and their relationships with demon lovers, she is driven toward a dark destiny of her own.
Desire by Amy Wallace Story of a pearl doctor. I love pearls and enjoy reading about them. Lily's uncle handed her the book-the one that holds all the secrets to the jewels. The woman had died and he wanted to know more of what she said on her death bed. The legacy had come from her relatives of days long gone. Letters from a woman in a convent, gave birth, child was adopted and the father tries to kidnap the baby and is killed. The woman in the convent is out of sorts... Her husband to be, Alan is also in the jewelry field. She is able to design broaches and necklaces with certain gems that really appeal to the rich. He's pressuring her to get the pearl her uncle has locked up, she can doctor it up and they can become rich. Her uncle is dying, so time is of the essence. Confusing at times because you can't figure out if the entry is about her or an ancestor that she's reading about. Loved hearing of all the information about real and cultured pearls and legends that surround them. I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Epic, bizarre, kinda trashy and a bit out there, but I really liked it when I read it (in college). I found it on the bookshelf of the UMass library which was how I found a lot of great, weird books during that time. Here's a review by Carolyn See: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage...