The New York Times bestselling author of The Library of Light and Shadow crafts “an enchanting glimpse of Jazz Age New York” (Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train) about a young painter whose traumatic past threatens to derail her career at a prestigious summer artists’ colony run by Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. fame. New York, 1924: … Co. fame.
New York, 1924: Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid all distractions and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall.
But Jenny’s past has followed her there. Images of her beloved mother, her hard-hearted stepfather, murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts, even as she is inextricably drawn to Oliver, Tiffany’s charismatic grandson.
As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone else knows about Jenny’s childhood trauma.
Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life.
“This fast-paced mystery, star-crossed romance, and love letter to Louis Comfort Tiffany will captivate Rose’s many fans and readers of 20th-century historical fiction” (Library Journal, starred review).
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Fascinating…an enchanting glimpse of Jazz Age New York.
As a native Long Islander and a fan of art, Tiffany’s works, and historical fiction, this Jazz Age novel was bound to win me over. I loved Ms. Rose’s ability to create post-war New York City in all of its glitter and gaiety while also skillfuly building a paradise in Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Long Island mansion. Jenny, the heroine, is trying to break away from her painful past, and art is the source of her freedom. I rooted for her while thoroughly enjoying her interact with her loyal and generous friend, Mitzy, her seduction by Oliver Tiffany, and the suspense subtly woven into the plot. I rarely give books 5 stars, but this one earned every one of them.
We’ve all felt this way at some time I believe — I wanted to love this book but it was just an o.k. read for me.
The main plot of this story takes place on the grounds of Mr. Tiffany’s Laurelton Hall. This was first a residence for Mr. Tiffany and then later parts of it were used as a “summer camp” of a group of hand picked artists who all are vying for the big prize. That prize is the chance to exhibit a piece at Mr. Tiffany’s famed store and to study further under his wing.
We are introduced to a few of these hand picked artists. Jenny Bell is a 24 y/o painter who had a very disturbing and troubling childhood. Without giving away part of the plot I can quote part of the blurb, “Jenny’s past has followed her to Long Island. Images of her beloved mother, stepfather, waterfalls and murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts. As she tries to concentrate on putting color in her works she gets to know Tiffany’s grandson, Oliver and they becomes quite close. This isn’t the only distraction. Someone, or several people, are hinting at Jenny’s past life, from Ouija boards, to sermons and songs and Jenny is becoming extremely worried that her well kept secret may may be revealed for everyone to see.
Minx Deering, a fellow art student, invites Jenny to live with her in her very opulent and sophisticated New York apartment. Minx is extremely wealthy but also deeply troubled. Jenny and Minx become good friends even though Minx has a way of trying to push Jenny and her art into the limelight. At times Jenny isn’t ready for this yet but it does help her secure a spot at Laurelton Hall and for this she is excited.
Oliver as mentioned is the grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany and seems to fall head over heels in love with Jenny. He is being groomed to take over the workings of the factory. However Oliver is a skilled artist in his own right and Jenny is determined that he pursue his artistic side.
Richard is an odd fellow. He seems to truly care for Minx and she is enthralled with him and yet Jenny feels something isn’t right with him and the way he treats Minx once they are at Laurelton.
So this is a bit of a mystery, romance and some history. The book was a bit of a slow mover for me, There is extreme detail is describing Laurelton Hall and it’s many treasures. If this is your first read about Mr. Tiffany’s estate than you will likely enjoy it. Each room has a theme and there seemed to be no limit to the amount of money that Mr. Tiffany spent to bring his vision to life. The romance in the book is quite light but an enjoyable interlude in what would have otherwise been quite a dry novel.
A 3* rating from me means that I still considered the book worth reading but wasn’t one of my favorites. I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
While artist Jenny is studying at Louis Comfort Tiffany’s exclusive artists’ colony, her troubling past comes back to haunt her. Who is trying to sabotage her stay and why? What could she be hiding? And, will it affect her work?
From first glance at the gorgeous cover all the way to the end of the story, I was enchanted by this book. It had many of my favorite elements including a New York City setting, historical fiction, art, and secrets. So many secrets. If you’re looking for a magical story that will pull you in, this is it.
Inspired by this romantic setting, I feel motivated to pick up my own sketching again!
I won an advance copy in a BookishFirst giveaway. All opinions are my own.
Location: New York City
Jenny Bell has a Past
Combine historical fiction with a strong character Jenny Bell who has a past and with a strong mysterious past, the reader wins. The reader finds that budding artist Jenny Bell has been accepted for an eight week scholarship to work on her craft at Louis Comfort Tiffany’s estate during the summer of 1924 during the middle of the Jazz Age. The reader learns a lot about Tiffany and the art world. We find out that Jenny has a disturbing past which is exposed over time. Clues are left for the reader to discover over time. I very much enjoyed the writing of M.J. Rose. I do think more time could be spent on the climax as it unraveled with a click of the finger. I was glad that the writer included an epilogue that jumped to 1957. I want to thank Bookish First and Simon and Shuster for this ARC. There was no obligation to review this book.
What a fantastic book! I really enjoyed reading about the time period of Tiffany Blues. The thing that really made the book come to life for me were the vivid descriptions of all of the beautiful colors and the lush scenery. The characters were amazing as well, I particularly loved Mr. Tiffany and his grandson Oliver. I hope to read more books by MJ Rose in the future.
Tiffany Blues by author M.J. Rose is filled with stunning imagery of color and beauty! I enjoyed this book very much for several reasons. The story grabs the reader from the beginning as we meet Jenny Bell in 1924. I won’t post spoilers, but the story is rich with family drama, hardships, love, loss, and Jenny’s determination to use her talent for success. A terrible thing happens to Jenny when she is a teenager because of her love for her family and she suffers a terrible injustice.
Years later her best friend Minx Deering arranges for Jenny to be invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Laurelton Hall artist colony for a competition. Jenny begins to live in beautiful color and she understands her life can be so much more than light and shadows with her art.
This is a wonderful story and is filled with many nuggets from the past and curious glimpses of life as an artist during this era of society. I loved the passage, “I made it so I would never forget there is beauty even in broken things. That through the cracks, light still shines.”
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
TIFFANY BLUES melds a heartbreaking mother-daughter relationship, the beauty of Tiffany jewels, the wonder of art — all wrapped in a crackling story that explores how far we’ll go for love.
The 1920s was a time of immense change all over the world. The arts were changing. Music was fresh and invigorating. Women were fighting for, and taking, more liberties. Young adults seemed more daring. Jenny Bell, a struggling artist, seemingly alone in the world, made a friendship that would change her life.
This is a story of dreams and deceit. A novel with romance but also mystery and life drama.
Mixing some factual elements in with well composed fiction, this is a story about struggle and overcoming personal demons.
The characters are well written, enough so that I worried about them. I enjoyed the way these artists looked at the world. I felt bad when life seemed beyond their control. The author made me feel as if I was in the midst of their group as we journeyed through the story.
What had happened in Jenny’s past that kept haunting her and kept her shrinking into the background instead of taking all that New York could offer her?
Was it bad enough to have to sidestep questions about it and fear that others were looking into her past?
Jenny moved to New York after her mother died and enrolled in art school, but she couldn’t accept the talent she had as her friend Minx pushed her forward and as Jenny protested.
We follow Jenny as we are made aware of the past that affected her life since the tragedy in Canada as well as the effect it had on her current life in New York and her decision about using her talent as an artist in a court room. The court room needed an artist, but a courtroom was the last place Jenny wanted to be.
Jenny finally did accept the court room position, and we get a glimpse into what happened in a courtroom long ago for her.
We also see how she continues to improve her skills as she is accepted into the art school at Laurelton Hall owned by Louis Comfort Tiffany – a school that changed her life.
TIFFANY BLUES is set during the Jazz Age. I loved learning about the lifestyle during that time and seeing famous names being woven into the story line.
I especially enjoyed learning about Laurelton Hall in Long Island. The description of the landscape, the mansion, and the grounds was breathtaking.
TIFFANY BLUES is a beautifully written, lyrical history lesson with an engaging, memorable story line and wonderful, authentic characters.
Jenny was a well written, mysterious, but very appealing character. I felt bad for her and her life’s circumstances as well as what was happening to her at Laurelton Hall.
TIFFANY BLUES is a book whose pages you will want to turn back to and re-read the wise words and advice.
Ms. Rose has done impeccable research into all aspects of this era and in marvelously portraying her characters’ emotions.
Artists, mystery lovers, and historical fiction fans will adore this book. 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Loved it.
½
Tiffany Blues is my least favorite M.J. Rose novel to date but it’s still well worth the read. Although historical fiction, it is based on the nonfiction Louis Comfort Tiffany and his prestigious artist colony that was housed at his New York estate: Laurelton Hall in the early 1900’s. According to the author, all art history facts about the late Mr. Tiffany are true (and she did her research!) but all other characters were drafted from her imagination. In addition to historical fiction, this novel incorporates art, trauma, mystery, family issues, social and criminal elements, media accountability, the aftermath of war, the idea of connecting with the dead, substance abuse/addiction, and romance. There’s a lot here but it flows well and allowed me to stay invested in what turned out to be an interesting tale.
I love Rose’s ability to produce her one-of-a-kind hauntingly gothic romance, but in my opinion this element was lacking in Tiffany Blues. I think that’s what brought this particular title down the totem pole for me personally. Sure, there is romance, and one particularly memorable paint-involved scene, but the focus lay elsewhere and in retrospect that’s okay. I enjoyed it, learned from it, and was inspired by it…and if that’s not a worthwhile reading experience then I don’t know what is.
What an amazing book! I don’t read much historical romance, but I was gifted a copy of this book after reading the first couple of chapters and was transfixed with the story. The beauty of the book cover, the rich history of Tiffany himself intermingled with a great romance between Oliver and Jenny, and Jenny’s tragic past and secrets that continues to follow her throughout this story only to come full circle in the end where tragedy turns into something beautiful. You can completely get caught up in the magical details of this story the way the author expertly writes about Laurelton and the beautiful surroundings of the estate. The way she writes about the colors of the glass, the incredible ponds and waterfalls, the chapel and all of its stunning glass work, makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the story. Enjoyed all of the characters, Minx was frustrating at times, but best friends usually are. Your heart breaks for Jenny and what she has gone through, but Ben, and especially Oliver, start to bring the beauty back into her life, something pretty special to read, yet tragic at the same time. Definitely takes you through a range of emotions, but that’s a definite sign of a great book.
This is a very well written book that sucks you in from page one and finally releases you on the very last page. It’s a story that might be historically detailed, but reads like it’s a story in real time, I loved every page of it!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book, and was gifted a copy by Bookish First.
A very vivid look at the world of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall told through the story of two young women from very different worlds that convene there for his artist colony.
Through the beautiful writing of MJ Rose you will feel as if you are part of that time, the glamour and the glitz of the 20s.
This is a beautiful story of mystery, ruin, love and loss. Highly recommend for all historical fiction readers. 5 stars.
Bravo to M.J. Rose, Author of “Tiffany Blues” for the captivating, intriguing, mystical, mysterious, enthralling, artistic gem that she has written. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, and Romance. It is amazing how the author layers and combines History, Fiction, Art, Magic, and Music to illustrate truth and love. I love the author’s vivid description of the landscape, nature, and the colorful cast of characters. The timeline of the story is 1924 and 1957 in New York. The story goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in this story.
The author describes her characters as complex and complicated, perhaps due to the circumstances of the events or times in the story. The story revolves around historical characters, and those made up in her imagination to fit in. M.J. Rose writes about Louis Comfort Tiffany, the esteemed Artist know for his elaborate and elegant stained glass window, and owner of “Tiffany”, the store known for jewelry, silver and other prestigious gifts, Louis Comfort Tiffany was also known to sponsor an Artistic foundation for artists to come to his Long Island Paradise at Laurelton Hill, his mansion on the elite North Shore.
Twenty four year old artistic Jenny Bell arrives at Laurelton Hill, with her best friend Minx Deering, a socialite, sculptor and artist. Jenny Bell has deep dark dangerous secrets that she has buried. Jenny shows exemplary talent in her drawings using black and showing light, but avoids color. After meeting with Louis Comfort Tiffany and his grandson Oliver, Jenny is encouraged to paint in color. Jenny has a unique ability to see things by color.
There are twists and turns, betrayals, murder, and danger that seem to revolve around Jenny. There is theft and arson. This is in contrast to truth, art, natural beauty and love. I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. I highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy suspense, mystery, fiction and historical fiction. I loved everything about this story!.
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M.J. Rose’s Tiffany Blues is a beautifully written work of art! Set in the Jazz Age, this is the story of Jenny and her quest to be successful in the art world while coming to grips with her past. The descriptions of the colors and scenery were so vivid that I felt as if I were there. Tiffany Blues is a must read for historical fiction lovers!
Being about artists in residence at Louis Comfort Tiffany’s elaborate Long Island estate in the roaring 1920s, Tiffany Blues is full of lush and glittering descriptions of everything from the buildings and sprawling landscape to the flapper-era clothes and the artwork. These descriptions are the high-water mark of the book, which was billed as a romantic thriller/mystery but didn’t actually have much mystery to it at all. I didn’t understand Jenny’s extreme reaction to anyone finding out about her past – yes, what happened to her was awful and traumatic and I get that she didn’t want to be judged unfairly by it, but it wasn’t a life-or-death secret. It was also easy to figure out who a certain somebody (no spoilers!) was, due to the fairly obvious clues and foreshadowing. So, while the writing was well done and the characters were fleshed out and generally likable, the story needed more to it.
*Thanks to BookishFirst for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was a lovely book – painted throughout with vivid colors and characters in sharp contrast to the black and white world that the main character lived in during the first part of the book. It’s my first book by MJ Rose and certainly won’t be my last.
Jenny Bell is 24 and a struggling artist in NYC. Her room-mate Minx, a talented sculptor, fills out applications for both of them to go to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony for several weeks to paint in a quiet beautiful estate. When Jenny first goes to the retreat, she only paints in black and white and uses no colors despite the suggestions of Louis Tiffany. It is apparent that she’s hiding some big secrets from her past from everyone. As the summer progresses and she begins to relax, it begins to appear that someone knows about her past and wants to expose it. Jenny tries to start seeing the color in the world but this new threat causes her great concern that she will lose her friendships and her love due to her past.
This is a beautiful well written novel with an interesting story line and great characters. I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Jenny Bell keeps deep secrets about herself and her deceased family in the 1920s. Her teen years were problematic because of the abusive treatment by her stepfather. Jenny decides to move far from her demons and enrolls in art school in New York City.
Minx Deering, a fun-loving art student, befriends Jenny at school. Minx is a rich socialite who is very generous. The two become roommates allowing Jenny the ability to save money on rent. A deep friendship develops with a common goal to spend the summer in Paris. They are both chosen to attend an art retreat at the Laurelton Hall which is owned by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Jenny spends time on her art and at the same time begins to explore her feelings about her past.
Tiffany Blues is historical fiction with a mixture of romance and mystery. Once you start this book you will find yourself immersed in this story written by M.J. Rose.
Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose literally broke my heart and put it back together again.
What it’s about: It is New York in the 1920s. Prohibition is in full swing, it’s the Jazz Age, and Louis Comfort Tiffany has created an artists colony at his Laurelton Hall estate in Long Island. Jenny Bell is 24 and is selected to go to Laurelton Hall for a shot at winning a spot in Tiffany’s New York gallery at the end of the 8 week experience. Jenny goes with her best friend Minx Deering who she lives with, and falls in love with the beautiful estate. She also ends up being drawn to Tiffany’s grandson Oliver. But Jenny has had a painful past that she is determined to hide from everyone around her; and when she gets to Laurelton Hall she finds out someone knows about her past and is determined to expose her.
The cover of Tiffany Blues is gorgeous, and the inside is simply sublime. M.J. Rose is very descriptive in the way that she writes about Laurelton Hall specifically, but also the rest of the book as well. If you are a person that doesn’t like a ton of details, you might have to skim this one a bit. But for me, it completely enhanced the story and I loved trying to picture the estate and New York as it was back then.
I was constantly rooting for Jenny throughout the novel, and my heart broke for her multiple times as I learned new things about her past and felt her pain in the present. The book is mostly set in the 20s but the prologue and epilogue are set afterwards in 1957. I LOVED the author’s note in the beginning of the book as well, where we learn there are some fictional characters like Minx and Jenny, but most of the things in the book are completely fact. Now THAT is how you do historical fiction ladies and gentlemen.
Final Thought: There were a couple of things that irked me and made this fall short of a 5 star book for me, but overall I really enjoyed it. It is also pretty short at just over 300 pages, and the pages turned very quickly for me once I got into it (which didn’t take long). This was my first time reading M.J. Rose but it will definitely not be my last. The mystery and dash of romance, combined with some hidden secrets, made this book a page-turner for me that I didn’t want to put down.