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Atria Books
March 2019
On Sale: March 5, 2019
320 pages
ISBN: 1501198416
EAN: 9781501198410
Kindle: B07GNVQ29P
Hardcover / e-Book
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Trade Size (reprint - April 2020)
Historical
Devoted maid Mary Ballard’s world is built on secrets,
and it’s about to be ripped apart at the seams, in this lush
and evocative debut set in 19th century New York, perfect
for fans of Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith and Emma
Donoghue’s Slammerkin. By day, Mary Ballard is lady’s maid to Charlotte Walden,
wealthy and accomplished belle of New York City high
society. Mary loves Charlotte with an obsessive passion that
goes beyond a servant’s devotion, but Charlotte would never
trust Mary again if she knew the truth about her devoted
servant’s past. Because Mary’s fate is linked to that of her
mistress, one of the most sought-after debutantes in New
York, Mary’s future seems secure—if she can keep her own
secrets… But on her nights off, Mary sheds her persona as prim and
proper lady’s maid to reveal her true self—Irish exile Maire
O’Farren—and finds release from her frustration in New
York’s gritty underworld—in the arms of a prostitute and as
drinking companion to a decidedly motley crew consisting of
a barkeeper and members of a dangerous secret society. Meanwhile, Charlotte has a secret of her own—she’s having an
affair with a stable groom, unaware that her lover is
actually Mary’s own brother. When the truth of both women’s
double lives begins to unravel, Mary is left to face the
consequences. Forced to choose between loyalty to her
brother and loyalty to Charlotte, between society’s respect
and true freedom, Mary finally learns that her fate lies in
her hands alone. A captivating historical fiction of 19th century
upstairs/downstairs New York City, The Parting
Glass examines sexuality, race, and social class in ways
that feel startlingly familiar and timely. A perfectly
paced, romantically charged story of overlapping love
triangles that builds to a white-knuckle climax, this is an
irresistible debut that’s impossible to put down.
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