The gilded years : a novel

Format:

Book

Title:

The gilded years : a novel

Author:

Tanabe, Karin author

ISBN:

9781501110450

Edition:

First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition.

Publication:

New York : Washington Square Press, 2016.

Physical Description:

382 pages ; 21 cm

Summary:

"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 would have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, this 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Anita Hemmings always longed to attend Vassar College, the country most exclusive school for women. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret: with her olive complexion and dark hair, this daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white. When Anita finds herself rooming with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, the scion of one of New York most prominent families, the two become fast friends. Anita learns what it's like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman, and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. But when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita's brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister, the situation becomes perilous.

Corporate Subject:

Vassar College -- Fiction.

Vassar College

Subject(s):

Vassar College -- Fiction.

African American women college students -- Fiction.

Passing (Identity) -- Fiction.

Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

New York (State) -- Poughkeepsie

Genre:

Historical fiction

Fiction

Historical fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	Tanabe, K.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Independence Public Library	FICTION - TANABE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Tanabe, K.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	Fic Tanabe, K. 2016	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	FIC TANABE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

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 would have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, this 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.

Author Notes

Karin Tanabe is the author of A Woman of Intelligence , The Gilded Years , The Price of Inheritance , A Hundred Suns , The Diplomat's Daughter , and The List . A former Politico reporter, her writing has also appeared in the Miami Herald , Chicago Tribune , Newsday , and The Washington Post . She has made frequent appearances as a celebrity and politics expert on Entertainment Tonight , CNN, and The CBS Early Show. A graduate of Vassar College, Karin lives in Washington, DC. To learn more visit KarinTanabe.com.

Reviews (3)

Kirkus Review

In turn-of-the-20th-century New York, a woman passes as white to attain a college education. Anita Hemmings, a real person, was the first black woman to graduate from Vassar College. To do so, she passed as white, and when her secret was discovered, her story filled newspapers across the United States. In her third novel, Tanabe (The List, 2013, etc.) sets out to illuminate that story. She focuses on Anita's senior year of college, when her roommate was Lottie Taylor, in Tanabe's telling a millionaire Manhattan socialite. Anita spent her first three years at Vassar flying under the radar: she studied hard, participated in various clubs, and held herself aloof to avoid suspicion. Tanabe's descriptions of Anita's isolation are effective. Then Lottie appears, drawing Anita out of herself and into her own high-society world. She even introduces Anita to the rich, handsome, and, of course, white Porter Hamilton, with whom Anita finds herself falling in love. These experiences put Anita at greater risk of being caught, but they also frame for her a fundamental choice she'll have to make: to live as white, and to unbind the scope of her ambition, or to live as black, with all the restrictions that Gilded Age American life entailed. This is a detailed, well-researched book, and yet there's something unconvincing about Tanabe's depiction. It's as if the psychological complexity of Anita's situation has been somehow flattened. None of the charactersnot even Anita or Lottieever come fully to life. Too much attention is paid to Vassar trivia and not enough to Anita's fate, which is ultimately rushed through at the unsatisfying end. Tanabe has brought attention to a brilliant and fascinating woman, but she doesn't seem to have done her justice. A novel about race, education, and the fin de sicle fight for equal rights is left wanting. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Tanabe's latest novel, following The Price of Inheritance (2014), reimagines the story of Anita Hemmings, the first African American woman to graduate Vassar College. The novel opens in 1897, Anita's senior year. After years of passing as a white student, she is assigned a roommate, the well-off, vivacious Lottie Taylor. Anita, a standout student and eminent beauty, has protected her secret up to this point but is soon drawn into Lottie's inner circle. Lottie exposes Anita to new experiences and various, indulgent adventures outside the confines of Vassar, and Anita finds herself in a burgeoning romance with a handsome Harvard student, Porter. At the same time, Anita struggles to reconcile her projected identity with her real one and often finds her own desires at odds with those around her. This quandary is particularly magnified in interactions with her younger brother, Frederick, who attends college nearby and disapproves of her new relationships. Eventually, Anita fears that her two worlds will catastrophically collide. In Anita's captivating story, heightened by richly drawn characters, Tanabe insightfully grapples with complex and compelling issues.--Strauss, Leah Copyright 2016 Booklist

Library Journal Review

As Anita Hemmings enters her senior year at Vassar College in 1896, her academic achievements and striking beauty seem to herald a promising future. Her roommate, Lottie Taylor, the daughter of a prominent New York family, introduces her to a world she scarcely imagined. Anything might be possible: graduate fellowships; marriage to a Harvard student. Yet such possibilities will crumble unless Anita can continue to hide an essential fact: she is African American. Passing as white to receive advanced education requires a complex set of fictions. The development of Anita's character and depiction of her struggles are the novel's chief strengths. When she has to listen to racist comments without reacting, concoct stories about her family, or field questions from instructors, we realize that small missteps can lead to disaster. Once Lottie learns the truth, her efforts to ruin Anita demonstrate her society's determination to maintain its privilege. The leap from Anita's postgraduation decisions to her daughter's arrival at Vassar in 1924 leaves readers wondering about the interim. Fortunately, Tanabe's afterword fills in some of the gaps. VERDICT Based on the real-life experiences of Hemmings, Vassar's first African American graduate, Tanabe's (The List) thought-provoking novel raises challenging questions about how race, gender, and class advance and limit opportunities. There is plenty of material here for book group discussions.-Kathy Piehl, -Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.