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Another long overdue review here…this book…I loved it SO much and am now dying to visit The Morgan Library in New York City. I thought I would enjoy it quite a lot, since my favorite genre is historical fiction, and oh how I love libraries…but I enjoyed it even more than I thought. I commend both of these authors for telling this woman’s story, who I am guessing a lot of folks knew nothing about, such as myself. I was not only fascinated by the story of Belle da Costa Greene, I learned so much about how the wealthy curated their own libraries. I also was not at all familiar with the cultural concept of very light skinned African Americans passing as white, and living their lives under the guise of the white race for their entire lives. This was eye opening and heartbreaking all at the same time. I was impressed by all Bella was able to do in her life, regardless of her race. The fact that it was written by two authors, one a white woman and one a black woman, was also intriguing and different. They did a spectacular job with every aspect and left me wanting more of this story.
A five star read for me and I hope for you as well. I am excited to share that these same two authors have written another book together, The First Ladies, which chronicles the extraordinary partnership between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. This new novel from the dynamic duo of Marie and Victoria is due out June 27, 2023. I have pre-ordered mine and suggest you do so as well. Marie and Victoria, you’ve got a great thing going, please don’t stop.
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