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The Gilded Years: A Novel
Scritto da Karin Tanabe
Narrato da Janina Edwards
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareDescrizione
Passing meets The House of Mirth in this "utterly captivating" (Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen House) historical novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black student to attend Vassar, who successfully passed as white-until she let herself grow too attached to the wrong person.
Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country's most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that should have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, the daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, the scion of one of New York's most prominent families.
Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie's sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it's like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman-the person everyone believes her to be-and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. It's only when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita's brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister's, that the situation becomes particularly perilous. And as Anita's college graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, an era when old money traditions collided with modern ideas, Tanabe has written an unputdownable and emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal-and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.
Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country's most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that should have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, the daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, the scion of one of New York's most prominent families.
Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie's sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it's like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman-the person everyone believes her to be-and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. It's only when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita's brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister's, that the situation becomes particularly perilous. And as Anita's college graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, an era when old money traditions collided with modern ideas, Tanabe has written an unputdownable and emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal-and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareInformazioni sul libro
The Gilded Years: A Novel
Scritto da Karin Tanabe
Narrato da Janina Edwards
Descrizione
Passing meets The House of Mirth in this "utterly captivating" (Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen House) historical novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black student to attend Vassar, who successfully passed as white-until she let herself grow too attached to the wrong person.
Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country's most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that should have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, the daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, the scion of one of New York's most prominent families.
Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie's sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it's like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman-the person everyone believes her to be-and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. It's only when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita's brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister's, that the situation becomes particularly perilous. And as Anita's college graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, an era when old money traditions collided with modern ideas, Tanabe has written an unputdownable and emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal-and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.
Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country's most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that should have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, the daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, the scion of one of New York's most prominent families.
Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie's sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it's like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman-the person everyone believes her to be-and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. It's only when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita's brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister's, that the situation becomes particularly perilous. And as Anita's college graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, an era when old money traditions collided with modern ideas, Tanabe has written an unputdownable and emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal-and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.
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Recensioni
This book is about the first African-American woman, Anita Hemmings (maybe related to Sally, but it can't be proven), at Vassar. All she had to do besides being an excellent scholar and exemplary student was to pass as white, while her brother was able to be himself at MIT. The writing is pretty simplistic, but the history is so good I had to give it 4 stars. Vassar was a wonderful place instilling in the women, mostly society elites, superb education in the classics, languages, math, science and sports. Then these intelligent, independent women graduates were expected to serve theircommunities by becoming wives and mothers. The ending of the book is so far fetched that I would have discounted it, if it hadn't been true.
Good book all the way through... ending notes even better.
Vassar College did not admit black women until the 1940's. However, two women - Anita Hemmings and her daughter Ellen Love - passed as white and graduated. This is a fantastic historical fiction of Anita's story, her family, and the wealthy roommate who hired a detective to trace Anita's family and reveal her secret. It's tantamount to a mystery - when and how will Anita be found out? Much of this story is fact based, although many characters, situations, and dialogue are invented. The writing suits the timeframe - the late 1890's - and, with rare exceptions, Northern attitudes turn out to be just as racist as that of any Southerner. The mothers of the Vassar students are suffragettes, but would be horrified to find out that their precious girls slept in the same room as "a Negress". More actual historical facts would have improved the afterword, but Anita's point of view is rendered most respectfully and sympathetically.