THE WAY OF BEAUTY starts off with Vera Kelly growing up in New York City. As a child of German immigrants, her life is tough, and she loses her mother early on in life. All through the rest of his life her father suffers the consequences of working on the construction of Penn Station. A job that makes him ill like so many other workers. Young Vera will find a friend for life in Angelo Bellavia who is a couple of years older. A friendship that for Vera will grow to love when she gets older. Unfortunately, Angelo meets the wealthy suffragette Pearl and falls in love and marries her and all Vera can do is watch as the man she loves builds a life with Pearl and her son. Years later Vera's daughter Alice also feel the pangs of love, but she instead is infatuated with two very different men. One that can offer her the world and security and another who fills her with a passion she has never experienced before, but who keeps secrets from her.

I found the second part of the book, the story about Alice to be my favorite part. I usually don't like triangle dramas, but this one made me understand the torment Alice goes through as she tries to figure out who she wants. And, all through the story is Penn Station. Standing proud, and being part of the story. THE WAY OF BEAUTY is definitely a historical fiction to read if you like love stories or if you want to read about a certain time in New York's history, about changes, both those for the better and those that perhaps was a bit rash like tearing down a glorious building...

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