Rare Objects

by Kathleen Tessaro

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Romance, Book Club, Chick Lit

378 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kathleen attended the University of Pittsburgh before entering the drama program of Carnegie Mellon University. In the middle of her sophomore year, she went to study in London for three months and stayed for the next twenty-three years. She began writing at the suggestion of a friend and was an early member of the Wimpole Street Writer’s Workshop. Her debut novel, Elegance, became a bestseller in hardback and paperback. All of Kathleen's novels (Elegance, Innocence, The Flirt, The Debutante, The Perfume Collector, and Rare Objects) have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world. She returned to Pittsburgh in 2009, where she now lives with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable historical fiction novel set in the bustling diverse community of Boston in the 1930's. What I liked primarily about this novel is the author chose to feature her protagonist as someone who is, in a sense, completely ahead of her time. Straggling the line between social and cultural norms whilst trying to maintain some independence, I enjoyed May's reluctance to conform to what is expected of her. She is a flawed character trying to starve off the skeletons in her closet, but this is perhaps what makes the book so enjoyable.

There are several supporting characters to keep track of, but the flow and pace of the writing is acceptable. The authors descriptions of the city and its minor communities of Italian and Irish families are especially good. There were one or two threads within the book I felt could have been better concluded but overall I was very satisfied by this book.

Like The Perfume Collector, this is an unusual take on historical fiction, but a riveting one all the same. I will continue to read this authors work.

[EMMA · Rating 4 out of 5]

بعد مدتها به کتاب خوندن برگشتمو این کتا ب تونست منو پای کتاب خوندن بذاره.
کتاب در مورد چی بود؟ یه دختری که به دنبال معنای زندگیه و سردرگمه چون نمیدونه چی میخواد یا تو چی استعداد داره. آیا بهش میرسه؟والا اگه فهمیده باشم :دی
دوست داشتم بیشتر به عشق میو و عتیقه فروش پرداخته باشه ولی نشد. یا احساس کردم داستان گذشته میو یجایی گفته شد و رها شد، میخواستم بدونم هدف چی بود؟خب نمیگفتی، گفتی هم تا آخر داستان بابای میو میگفتی.
ولی دوسش داشتم چون باعث شد بعد خیلی وقت بشینم کتاب بخونم. هم ترجمه خوبی داشت و هم داستان قشنگی.
**********
چند سال پیش سوال پرسیدم اگه سال آخر زندگیتون باشه کتاب میخونید یا سفر میرید؟ جواب سوال من بود این بود که کتاب میخونم، فکر میکردم با کتاب خوندن بیشتر به دانشم افزوده میشه یا یجورایی میشه گفت بیشتر میفهمم دنیای اطرافم چه خبره. ولی اشتباه میکردم،چرا؟ داین یه سال اخیر سفرهای زیادی رفته بودم و همین باعث شده کلی تجربه کسب کنم. مثلا وقتی میگفت کانولی میدونستم چبه و میدونستم چیه. واسم قابل ملموس تر بود داستان.بنظرم برای نوشتن فقط خوندن کافی نیست. باید تجربه هم کرد تا بتونی بهتر بنویسی!!!
********** و در
اخر از وقتی اسم و عکسمو عوض کردم هرچی تو گودریدز مینویسم توجهی نمیشه بهش :دی
فک کنم بخاطر عکسم بود لایک میخوردم نه نوشته هام :)))))))))))))

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rare Objects is a historical fiction novel set in post depression Boston. The reader is introduced to two main characters: Maeve (May), a young Irish woman living at home who is frustrated and desperate with her station in life and Diana Van dear Laar, a deeply flawed, smart, rich young lady. Their lives become intertwined, resulting in a beautifully written, insightful, thought provoking novel.
Some favourite quotes to ponder:
"Sometimes, my dear, being broken is the most interesting thing that can happen."
" You must navigate by means of your own natural compass."
"The world was full of collectors, scouring the earth for pieces of themselves".
" Kintsugi: It's the belief that the breaks, cracks and repairs become a valuable and esteemed part of the history of an object, rather than something to be hidden. The piece is more beautiful for having been broken."

The time taken to read this book is no reflection on my interest level. I had it on Overdrive, company came, book expired with 100 pages to read and I needed to reserve the book again.
This book is a rare find!

[Patricia Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book, very good story. I loved the main character, May (Mae) and the two men she worked for. The only reason I"m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because this book has one of my "pet peeves", no chapters. Second book in a row with no chapters. It's so hard to be able to stop reading! This young woman got a job in an antique store after she had been involved in a scandal and a stay in a mental hospital. She had to move back to Boston from NYC to live with her mother again. But the antique store was a very enlightening experience for her. This is not one of those books where she meets someone wonderful and lives happily ever after but is a story about her learning to figure out her life and the finale was that she found out one of her friends was safe and sound away from Boston. I definitely recommend if you want a "feel good" book for women.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are books that I can only describe as being literary Chinese food, I enjoy the book while I read it--at times I can't even put it down--but, once I'm done, I just don't feel satisfied. There is a lot in Rare Objects to recommend it, but I just didn't feel that it came together at the end.

The novel has a promising start--our heroine finds herself in a mental hospital, where she meets Diana, a mysterious but fragile woman. We are quickly brought back to 1930's Boston, where the bulk of the action takes place. I liked Maeve as a character. She definitely has her flaws and, in her quest to find her way in the world, she makes some bad choices, However, I felt betrayed by the narrative right off--there really was no reason for Maeve to find herself in a mental hospital, other than to meet Diana. What brought her there was not a major point in the book and almost forgotten about within pages.

Diana could have been more interesting than she was. I found her to be a little flat and the "twists" in her character were either not really supported or entirely predictable. I found most of the secondary characters, like Diana, to be one-dimensional. I also felt that there were just too many of them. I found both Diana's society set and Maeve's North End friends to be promising, but there just weren't enough pages to give either their due.

I found Maeve's employers, Mr. Kessler and Mr. Winshaw to be the two most intriguing characters. I do think that Tessaro succeeded with Kessler, but she never seemed to be able to fully realize Winshaw, which I found frustrating as a reader.

There is plenty of action to keep the story going--as I said, the story kept me going and, at times, I couldn't put it down. However, I didn't feel that Maeve had really transformed from where she was at the beginning of the book to where she was at the end. In fact, I wasn't even sure the book was about her--at times, I felt this book was about Diana instead.

While the experience of this book was an entertaining one, it did leave a strange aftertaste. I wouldn't say that I wouldn't recommend this book, but I think I would be careful about who I recommended it to. If you tend to really dig into your reading, this one is probably not for you.

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post.

[C.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my Christmas-doesn't-exist escape book. Having worked in fashion / retail for so many years in my earlier days, Christmas and I just don't get along. However, Kathleen Tessaro's mesmerizing RARE OBJECTS was just the first-class ticket I needed to all the destinations I love: the early 1930s, antiques, and the tangled quest for self-fulfillment.

Maeve Fanning is a hot mess: a fiery red-haired Irish girl of obscure paternal origin, with an uptight, demanding mother in Boston, she flees to the Big Apple to roil in speak-easy bars, dances for a dime, bootleg hooch, and general debauchery. When a botched suicide attempt lands her in a mental ward, she meets an enigmatic socialite who's even more of a mess than she is. Upon her release, Maeve returns to the dubious comforts of Boston, to confront her disheveled past and chastising mother; but she yearns for more out of life and reinvents herself again after she's hired to work in an antiques shop specializing in the titular rare objects. The delivery of two ancient Greek pieces to the mansion of a wealthy, upper-crust family brings her face-to-face with her former mental ward inmate-acquaintance, the mercurial Diana, Diana's handsome rogue of a brother, and a seductive world of champagne, private clubs, diamond brooches, betrayal, and deceit. Caught up in the labyrinth of her own lies and of Diana's fatalistic plunge into escapism, Maeve will have to decide who she is and who she wants to be - and whether or not she values herself as a rare object or merely as an object to be used and discarded.

Tessaro's novel exudes humanity, wit, and unexpected poignancy, with riveting secondary characters such as Maeve's bachelor employers, Diana's posse of well-heeled, lethally apathetic society friends, and of a Depression-era world inching toward the calamity of WWII after having barely survived the horrors of WWI. There are moments in the novel that are truly masterful, such as Maeve's meetings with her North End Italian neighbors, brimming with zest, struggle, and conformity; the haunting tale that her boss tells her of his Jewish upbringing, his escape to Vienna and his lifelong passion for what antiques can tell us, coupled with the hunt and discovery of the beautiful objects of art themselves, which have survived centuries after their creators crumbled into dust, like ancient sphinxes oblivious to the foibles of mortality. And her heroine, Maeve, is captivating and deeply flawed, a young woman who doesn't yet know who she is, determined to carve a place for herself in a world she barely understands. Her journey is one of discovery despite herself, and it all makes for an unputdownable read.

This novel was like its title: a rare object, hiding secrets within its covers. I loved it.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. It's set in the 1930s (a great time for historical fiction, I think) and it's insanely well-written.

I had such a sense of unease while reading it. I didn't know what would go wrong, but I was sure that something horrible would happen to Mae or to Diana or to both. I loved the two of them so much that I was so afraid that things would go wrong for them. And in the 1930s, there are so many ways that things could go wrong for women (especially single women).

I don't want to say too much about the plot, but this is just a fantastic read. You owe it to yourself to pick it up and get lost in this gorgeous world.

Recommended.

[El · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Battle of the Books Tournament book (this one written by a Pittsburgh author, though the story takes place in Boston and, briefly, NYC) that I was unfamiliar with originally. The author's name is familiar to me, though I don't know if she is actually related to the Tessaro family of the delicious Tessaro's in Bloomfield.

1930s Boston. Maeve Fanning has had a rough time of things, most of which we learn about through flashbacks that don't really go much further than that. She has had a stint in a psychiatric hospital, she used to date a boxer, she had a job in NYC for a while in which she was basically a lap-bunny for pay (my words, not the author's). We don't really get a good glimpse of any of these circumstances from Maeve's past, other than a feeling of discomfort in that now things are rough for her as she tries to improve her life and stop making things so painful for her mother, a single-parent who raised Maeve on her own.

Maeve has returned to Boston to get a job, but pickings are slim. Through some lies and finagling, she is able to land a job in an antique shop where she begins to learn the trade though mostly on her own (and without asking for help, and so she doesn't do a very good job at that either). But the job is really background noise, a prop to help set up the rest of the story which involves friendships within the Van der Laar family, an aristocratic and well-known and -respected family in Boston. This is the real meat of the story, the way Maeve gets to know Diana (a woman similar to herself in that she has also had a rough past - money doesn't solve all the world's problems, after all) and her brother James, a dashing diamond heir.

The story is fine, but I didn't feel much of a connection to any of the characters and many of the circumstances that came up (such as Andrew being Diana's son) were not particularly surprising and were, in my opinion, rather predictable. I enjoy a good historical novel about the 1930s and 1940s in the northeastern US, but this was merely passable. An easy read, though occasionally things were said that made me question whether these were the characters or the author. For example:

"The Broederbond. It means 'brotherhood' in Afrikaans. It's actually a private organization. We work on behalf of Afrikaner interests."

I was confused. "You mean for the natives?"

"Good God, no!" He laughed. "Best to leave that to the missionaries! No, Afrikaner. The true African people."

"Oh. I see." I had to conception of what he meant.

He wasn't fooled.

"The Afrikaners have been in South Africa for centuries. Our ancestors came from Holland, France, Norway. We settled this land, made it civilized. Left to their own devices, all the native tribes do is slaughter one another."

I'd always imagined Africa as safari tents, dramatic sunsets, and vast windswept plains teeming with wildlife. "Still, it must be quite exciting, with lots of lions and elephants..."

"Well, there's plenty of good hunting, but don't believe any of that nonsense you read about the noble savage. Mind you," he said darkly, "they're nothing compared to the English. They're completely without a conscience. You see, we understand Africa. It's our destiny and duty to guide and shape it. That's why the Broederbond was formed, to take this country back. We have a responsibility to our homeland - " He stopped himself, smiling apologetically. "I'm on my soapbox again, aren't I? I'm boring you."

He wasn't, actually. It was another world, one I knew nothing about. But that didn't stop me from teasing him. "On the contrary. Naturally I find you utterly fascinating."

I'm confused by passages like this. I understand the time this story takes place, and the fact that Maeve might not understand the politics of Africa at the time, but she's also meant to be a self-studied young woman, so I find it surprising that this sort of white supremacist attitude by this man wouldn't at least cause her to raise an eyebrow. She calls plenty of people out on lesser shit than this.

All I'm saying is it seems uncharacteristic for Maeve to just sit back and listen to it and then proclaim "but the lions and elephants!" Sheesh.

In any case, it's a quick read, though I wasn't particularly invested in it to read it as quickly as I might have liked. Diana is probably the most interesting character in the novel, but she's not particularly original - an aristocratic young woman who doesn't have any time or space of her own in a time when women were not encouraged to have time or space of their own, a young woman who turns her frustrations out on herself in a form of self-destruction that is not uncommon now and probably wasn't uncommon then. I know it's not cool to care about the rich people or have sympathy for their problems, but I found Diana to be somewhat sympathetic in that she was born into this oppressive family with no choice in what she does with her time or energy. It's a different perspective, but here we see it through Maeve's eyes, a young woman with a completely different background from Diana.

A bit too much of a romance for my tastes, but those readers who like historical fiction romances will probably like this more than I did.

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. I really enjoyed it. I will give a full review at a later date.
Be Blessed.

[Iustina Dinulescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Lumea era plină de colecționari, răscolind pământul în căutarea bucăților din ei înșiși.”

De cele mai multe ori, cel mai anevoios drum pe care trebuie să-l facem, pe care e firesc să-l facem, este cel către noi înșine. Este drumul autocunoașterii și al acceptării. Uneori îți ia destul de mult timp să ajungi să ai încredere în tine, să îți asumi greșelile, să-ți accepți condiția, să te accepți pe tine însuți, cu bune și cu rele și…să te reinventezi ori de câte ori este nevoie.

Obiecte prețioase este o poveste pe care trebuie să o citești in tihnă, să o savurezi. Să te bucuri de mulțimea de informații pe care le afli despre magazinele de antichități, despre obiectele vândute în acestea, de simplitatea și dramatismul unei lumi îndepărtate, pe care nu o poți descoperi decât așa, prin intermediul cărților.

Recenzia completa: http://momenteinviata.ro/obiecte-pret...

[لاله · Rating 5 out of 5]

اوه خدای من!
فراااااتر از خوب بود این کتاب!!
بی‌نهایت دوستش داشتم و به معنی واقعی کلمه لذت بردم.
بی‌نهایت عمیق و تاثیرگذار بود.
حس می‌کنم با عشق و علاقه زیاد نوشته‌شده❤️🥲

یکی از بهترین کتاب‌هایی که خونده‌م بود.
عالی بود. عالی.❤️❤️🥲🥲

پ.ن: خیلییی دلم می‌خواست توی دنیای کتاب زندگی می‌کردم، انگار اونموقع همه چیز واقعی‌تر بوده..

[Cititor Necunoscut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obiecte prețioase este o carte cu mult potențial, dar am rămas la sfârșit frustrată că nu a fost valorificat. M-a atras perioada descrisă de autoare, dar nu am aflat suficiente despre perioadă, doar niște imagini dintr-un cartier al Bostonului și universul magazinului de antichități. Mi-a plăcut cum a explorat piața de antichități, dar și acest lucru a rămas nefinisat, aflând doar superficialități. Maeve se vrea o eroină puternică, dar sentimentele ei nu sunt justificate. Se simte umilită de Diana, dar nu în momentele în care aceasta o jignește efectiv, ci dintr-un motiv minor. Deși este puternică, relația ei cu James pur și simplu nu am înțeles-o. Am avut impresia că autoarea a vrut să impresioneze prin multitudinea de subiecte tratate, fără ca vreunul să fie cu adevărat valorificat, ci o trecere în revistă a câte ar putea discuta, dar nu o face. Dacă aș descrie cartea într-un cuvânt, acesta ar fi „insuficient”. Nu am avut suficient din nimic în această carte, deși ar fi avut cum și când să o facă.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rare Objects is set in Depression-era Boston and follows Maeve Fanning, a first-generation Irish woman, living with her widowed mother. Maeve makes some wrong choices and lands in a psychiatric hospital, like so many misunderstood women of that time. In the hospital she strikes up a friendship with Diana, who is from a wealthy Boston family, and their friendship continues outside of the hospital.

Maeve gets sucked into Diana's web and both women feed off of each other as they try to push the boundaries and expectations set for them by society and even their social standings.

Rare Objects is an exquisite look at the 1930's, of the Depression, of Prohibition, of the way women are looked at, and even how women are treated.

Tessaro has written a novel about people who make mistakes -- mistakes we all have or could make. It's a reminder that we are all human and that we are more similar than we realize.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one surprised me with the level of depth and intrigue. I enjoyed it a lot when I just started it out of half-hearted curiosity.

[Zahra. M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

نمیدونم چرا با این کتاب زندگی کردم... از تموم شدنش میترسیدم... تمام لحظه هاش قابل لمس بود... یه دختر از طبقه ی پایین جامعه با تموم خطا ها و فریب هایی که توی زندگی تجربه میکنه... دختری که هرکاری میکنه که توی زنجیرهای رسوم و عادت های سخت نمونه و آزاد باشه... خودشو بالا بکشه... میون کلی تاریخ و نماد و اشیای عتیقه... تا مهمونی های بزرگ و سطح بالا... حتی توی یه بیمارستان روانی... کلی فراز و فرود احساسی....
بعداز دو روز تموم کردنش هنوزم تو دنیای می... وسط مغازه عتیقه فروشیش با کلی آرزو و احساس گیر افتادم...

[Chaitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maeve is an Irish girl from Boston who runs away to NYC for reasons best known to herself (but which we can easily guess). In NYC, she develops alcoholism. She was already susceptible to alcohol in Boston, but at least she had a mother to look after her. (Not that she did much). No such thing in NYC, and one thing leads to another and she finds herself in a facility for the mentally challenged. There she meets a girl, clearly privileged, exchanges a couple of conversations, is released and comes home to Boston.

Only it's the Depression. For a job in antiques, she dyes her red hair blonde, and shows up with a story of privilege and boredom. Mr. Kessler sees through her, but gives her the job anyway. I couldn't believe there was a salesgirl job in antiques during the Great Depression, but then the Boston Brahmins seem unscathed. As in, they don't even mention Depression afterward, even in passing. Anyway, the girl from the asylum is from Boston's high society, and she aggressively befriends Maeve. Her brother, a douchebag called James also aggressively pursues Mae. Mae is at this point looking for a better life than she has right now, so she naively assumes everyone wants the best for her.

It's a good premise, so it's frustrating that it's so predictable.. James is, from the beginning, a douchebag. It was a little off putting that Mae would even consider him, because she's been told time and again that the man is a louse. Sometimes from Diana herself. Diana has an interesting issue, but one that is not hard to guess. Mae and Diana have the asylum in common, but their time there or trauma is rarely mentioned, beyond the common connection. Mae is fascinated by another character, Mr. Kessler's absent partner Mr. Winshaw, who is again someone I couldn't get fascinated about, neither could I figure out what Mae saw in him. It's too hazy anyway. The book starts with an older Mae reminiscing about her youth, but we never return to this old Mae, and so the book felt incomplete. It's still something I'm not unhappy I read, but it could have been a lot better.

[Colleen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine my full review at https://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.

Depression-era United States isn't a place and time I've read much about but, after reading Rare Objects, I'm starting to think that's been a mistake. Given this story's subject matter, the contrast between the poor, crowded, down on their luck immigrant communities like the one Maeve grew up in and the rich, opulent, and wanton world she becomes enmeshed in while working in the antiques store, is glaringly clear and that much more poignant for it. Whether this is just due to the subject matter or is due to the author's spectacular writing style - stark at times, whimsical at others, and always eloquent - I'm not sure. But regardless of the reasons, I absolutely loved it!

The beginning of the novel is perfect, showing Maeve down on her luck and back at home with her mother, trying to make a new start for herself at a high-end antique store (dying her hair, lying about her origins, and going by "May with a y") while we, the reader, get to also see glimpses back over the last year as Maeve struggled in New York and then the mental hospital. This format does a great job of giving the reader a well rounded view of who Maeve is at this point of her life and just how much she lies, to herself as well as everyone else, about who she is. I loved Maeve from the beginning as she is such an intelligent, strong, and spunky character. However she isn't the only incredible character...Rare Objects is simply packed full with flawed and wonderfully complicated characters that I won't soon forget.

One such character is Diana Van der Laar, someone I really didn't start out liking but that soon became impossibly endearing. Maeve and Diana seem to understand each other better than just about anyone else - they've both felt low enough to try and harm themselves, they've both felt like no one else really knows them and that the personas they present to the world are simply mirages, that secrets and lies are the only way to survive - but as Diana's character develops we start to see that there is quite a bit more going on in her life than Maeve could have expected. Diana seems to have actual mental issues going on such as impulse issues, paranoia and manic depression, aggravated by the painful experiences she has gone through and the shame she has gotten from her family. Both of these characters are incredibly damaged by what they've gone through and neither are sure how much they can trust anyone, even each other, in their quests to become happy, healthy women.

Delightful character development aside, Kathleen Tessaro's writing blew me away! Her writing has a very classic feel to it and is simply lyrical and engaging. There is a part at the very end of the book, where the owner of the antiques store Maeve works at describes the technique used to repair one of her mother's beloved tea cups, that so perfectly wraps up the overall theme of the story as well as represents the beautiful language found through out -

"It's not just a method of repair but also a philosophy," he explained. "It's the belief that the breaks, cracks, and repairs become a valuable and esteemed part of the history of an object, rather than something to be hidden. That, in fact, the piece is more beautiful for having been broken." - page 379

This quote so perfectly represents for me most of the characters' journeys and just how much stronger and valuable they are for having experienced them. It's by being honest about who they each are - the good and the bad - and what they want out of life that they can finally heal and be the people they were meant to be. This realization is breathtaking and I can't express how happy I am to say that many of our characters end up getting what they deserve, whether that is a good thing or not.

It has been a while since I've finished a story and actually felt kind of sad that the experience is over. I absolutely loved my time spent within the pages of Rare Objects and cannot recommend it enough to everyone.

[Eglė (IG-atgimusi_meile_knygoms) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️

,,Mergina iš antikvariato" romanas apie labai gudria ir sumania mergina. Meivė visa gyvenimą augo skurdžiame rajone. Meivė nepažinojo savo tėvo, tad ją augino mama kaip išmanydama, tačiau merginos širdis visad norėjo daugiau. Taip savo svajonės vedima ji iškeliauja į Niujorką.
Kad ir kaip išmanydama mergina sukosi, bet jos gyvenimas nelepino. Daug klaidų padaryta ir daug klystkelių apturėjusi jauna mergina atsiduria psichiatrijos ligoninėje. Apmaldžiusi sielos žaizdas Meivė grįžta į Bostoną. Savo gudrumo pagalba mergina gauna darbą antikvariate. Net nebūtų pagalvojusi, kad psichiatrinėje užsimezgusi draugystė su Diana merginą įtrauks į aukštuomenės gyvenimą. Juk ji visad šito norėjo, kažko daugiau... Tačiau, ne viskas taip gražu ir paprasta kaip iš pirmo žvilgsnio. Ta prabanga turi savo kainą ir ji ne visad tokia, kokią norėtųsi mokėti.
Istorija apie merginą, kuri siekia daugiau, gali iš pirmo žvilgsnio pasirodyti per paprasta. Autorė puikiai perteikia tuo metinio laikotarpio prabangos subtilybes bei ydas. Užvertus paskutinius knygos puslapius, ši istorija dar kurį laiką nepaleido, kilo daug minčių. Daug kas taip ir paliko nutylėta ir neatskeista, bet istorijos moralui nelabai turėjo didelios įtakos.
Puikus romanas, kuriame aprašomos tikrai sudėtingos temos. Tegu neapgauna jūsų paprastas pavadinimas ir gražus viršelis. Mane tikrai maloniai nustebino autorė su šia istorija, manau, ir Jūsų nepaliktų abejingų.

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

“It’s a trick I learned from my mother – when in doubt, act like you know what you’re doing, and you’ll be treated like you do. And if you can convince others, there’s a chance that someday you might just be able to convince yourself.”

“I used to wonder what it felt like to waste something; as a child I couldn’t imagine anything more delicious or sinful than the extravagance of throwing things away. I’ve wasted a few things since then; it’s not as liberating as I imagined.”

“Almost everywhere else, time was an enemy; the thief that rendered food rotten, dulled the bloom of youth, made fashions passé. But here it was the precious ingredient that transformed an ordinary object into a valuable artifact – from paintings to thimbles. I’d never been around such extraordinary things.”

“I was unused to praise, wary of it, especially from her. It often proved only the harbinger of some future disappointment gathering on the horizon.”

“He made a girl feel like she was a diamond and he the gold setting, designed to show her off.”

“If you want to know why you drank too much in the first place, try stopping.”

“I thought about the ring, how untouched it was by everything that had happened around it and would happen… Selena was right. It would journey from hand to hand, continent to continent, decade to decade – a time traveler made of agate and gold. We were the fragile ones. The ones who, like Mr. Tresalion’s salvaged objects, needed to be rescued, reimagined, restored.”


My Review:

I seldom read historical novels as I typically become too annoyed and antagonized by how the women were treated to properly enjoy the story. However, despite the limitations the women in this story were constricted by in 1932 Boston, I could not put this book down. The characters and issues they faced continue to be relevant and real, despite the year or era. Kathleen Tessaro is a gifted writer who adroitly captured and depicted May’s frustration, desperation, and exasperation with her lot in life, while also painting a vivid and fascinating account of the world spinning around her.

Ms. Tessaro’s characters were deeply flawed, smart, witty, feisty, selfish, likable, alluring, seductive, and well drawn. Her writing was crisp, well paced, keenly observant, and acutely insightful. I saw myself so clearly in these pages and instantly bonded to the character of May/Maeve, as we share many similarities. I had also yearned throughout my youth to flee and reinvent myself away from the rigidity of family, and I would swear the author based May’s iron fisted, judgmental, critical, controlling, stingy, stubborn, penny-pinching mother – whom she absolutely ached to rebel against… on a matriarch who shares my DNA. While I am not saying I have never made a misstep, May was the mistress of bad decisions and poor choices. Poor May, when she failed on her own and found herself returning to her mother’s apartment a broke and broken adult, she continued her attempts at rebellion in a self-destructive manner. Yet she had moxie, and I adored her, and I am deeply enamored with Kathleen Tessaro.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every bit of this book. From the cover to the characters and lastly and most importantly the story. I was not a complete fan of the ending though. Only because I didn't want it to end. I wanted to know more about Several characters and where they ended up. With that being said it lets me hold out hope that this one could be a series.
There were certain things in the story I wanted to read more of. More than one character felt open ended. Not really a cliff hanger the author addressed everyone in the end but the way it ended I could see a whole new novel to continue certain journeys. (Fingers crossed and praying).
I finished this book in less than 24 hours. It has been a long time since I have done that with any book.
I was drawn in by the cover. I don't know exactly why but it grabbed my attention about a month ago and I made sure I bought the day it was released in Kindle format. I enjoyed it so much I have also ordered it in hard back just to have it on my book shelf. Please continue the journey of this story it is great!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 3.75. I really enjoyed this one. Set in Depression Era Boston, Maeve Fanning is cunning, smart, and totally adrift. She finds herself working in an antique shop, and immersed both in the lives and inner workings of that business, as much as entangled with the Van De Leer family, enigmatic, mysterious, a glamorous world of half truths. One of the themes in the novel, was that "you become the story you tell." Selling rare objects is about the story of where things came from, broken, old, lost and found, and our histories. The parallel with the characters is portrayed in this vein. Ultimately, Maeve has to figure out her own history and who she ultimately wishes to become.

I loved it. Breezed through it quickly, and then finished another one before reviewing it - and I dislike that, but I hope I've done it justice and honor.

This was Book Five for me for my personal Prosperity Challenge.

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

نمی‌دانم چرا آخرش قلبم درد گرفت...

[Gabrielė|Kartu su knyga · Rating 4 out of 5]

KATHLEEN TESSARO "MERGINA IŠ ANTIKVARIATO"
Šis pasakojimas pasakoja apie airę vardu Meivė. Nors mergina augo ir gyvena skurdžiai, tačiau yra iš tiesų protinga bei sumani. Ieškodama geresnio gyvenimo, ji išvyksta į Niujorką, kur netikėtai viskas pakrypsta ne taip, kaip Meivė planavo.. Ji pakliūva į psichiatrijos ligoninę. Atsigavusi ji sugrįžta atgal į Bostoną, kur sutinka merginą iš ligoninės. Taip užgimsta jų draugystė, bei Meivė pamato visai kitokį, aukštuomenės gyvenimą. 🌟
Iš pat pradžių galvojau, jog manęs laukia lengvas romanas, tačiau klydau. Pasakojimas daug rimtesnis, nei gali pasirodyti iš pirmo žvilgsnio. Tai knyga apie savęs paieškas, skausmą, džiaugsmą, kovą dėl geresnio gyvenimo, draugystę bei išdavystę. Šioje knygoje apie laimę kalbama taip : "Laimė statoma iš paprastų kasdienių dalykų. Laimę sukuria apmokėtos sąskaitos ir švarūs drabužiai, šiltas maistas ir sveiki vaikai, vyras, kuris drąsiai žiūri tau į akis sugrįžęs namo, nes neturi ką nuo tavęs slėpti. Bet tai tokie kasdieniai ir paprasti dalykai, kad žmonės jų net nebepastebi. Žmonės trokšta rožių, nors turėtų norėti į namus įvesto vandens". ❤️

[Charlotte Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book about Maeve Fanning in the 1930,s post depression.
Maeve always seemed to make the wrong decisions in life like, people. When she comes to a cross roads in her life she finally obtains her peace and who and where she is in life.
Sometimes we have to go through the bad times and decisions in life to find the peace and to know where our purpose is in life.
Beautifully written.

[Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

حال و هوای قرن بیستم بوستون، هرج و مرج و دوگانگی شهر، جزئیات ریز و درشت شخصیت های قصه و عتیقه فروشی دنج و آرومی که به خواننده هاهم این حس ارامش رو منتقل می‌کرد؛ همه و همه باعث میشه که خوندن کتاب و قلم نویسنده براتون لذت‌بخش باشه. تلاش های کاراکتر اصلی قصه برای چنگ زدن به زندگی برام دوست داشتنی بود، اینکه اشتباهاتش رو می‌پذیرفت و با هر افتادن باز پا می‌شد، باز اعتماد می‌کرد (هرچند کمی احمقانه) و باز به زندگی فرصت میداد رو درک می‌کردم. در کتاب مدام به برشی از شعر «اودیسه»:
«ناتوان از جفای سرنوشت و زمان، ولی با عزمی جزم
پی کوشیدن، جوییدن، یافتن و دمی نیاسودن…»
اشاره می‌شه که برای مِی(نقش اول داستان) یادآور تلاشش برای زندگی و در جستجوی معنای زندگی بودنشه.
درست همون‌طور که صائب تبریزی ‌میگه:

ما زنده به آنیم که آرام نگیریم
موجیم که آسودگی‌هم عدم ماست…

اگر دنبال یه کتاب ساده اید که از خوندنش لذت ببرید و خوش‌خوان باشه، بهتون پیشنهاد‌ ‌می‌کنم.

[Bloodorange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I delayed reading this novel, the last of Kathleen Tessaro's I haven't read, for a really long time. This, in my opinion, is the best of her books, and the most ambitious one in scope. It has its minor faults, esp. concerning the way the plots are resolved (but still, this is done with some sophistication and suprise), but the pleasure it gave me, and the overall reading satisfaction, makes me turn blind eye to them.
If you liked City of Girls or Rules of Civility, you might like this as well.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this book. I so loved The Perfume Collector, so I thought I would like this one. Alas it was so freaking slow and there was so much back story and just too much time to get to the fun stuff. At the 65% mark that's when things finally pick up and get exciting, I believe in the book it's Part 2. The characters are ok, the main character is kind of annoying, her bestie is by far more exciting. And the ending, WHAT WAS THAT! So many open ended stories, ugh!

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't recall where the recommendation for this book came from. I really need to take note of that so I won't waste my time in the future. The Boston locale, premise to reinvent oneself, antiquities...all had potential, but the narrative did not resonate with me.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this as much as The Perfume Collector although I enjoyed the descriptions of the North End of Boston in the 30's. The characters just didn't seem as real to me. Still a good easy read with happy endings...

[Malihe63 · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان خوبی بود با وجود زنانه بودن داستان که خیلی مورد علاقه من نیست اما این کتاب جذاب بود