"A beautiful tale of history, love and family"
The Way of Beauty
By: Camille Di Maio
Genres: Women's Fiction | Women's Fiction Historical
Posted: July 15, 2019
At the turn of the century in New York City, Vera Keller, a daughter of German immigrants, has fallen in love with Angelo Bellavia, son of the Italian immigrants. The two have always been close, but since their meeting and friendship, Vera has harbored less than sisterly emotions towards Angelo. However, one day, Angelo marries Pearl, a passionate suffragist who will do whatever she can to advance women's cause in voting and having equal rights. Looking for a nanny, Pearl recruits Vera to care for her son William while she flits from one place to another to further advance the cause. But what will Pearl's passions and her background as a disinherited heiress ultimately mean for Vera, Angelo and Pearl's young son when boundaries began to blur?
A generation later, Vera's daughter Alice has met a man who has secrets to hide from her: secrets that could mean either life or death for him and those he knows and loves. At the same time, a man from her mother's past has resurfaced, and it is clear that he has his heart set on her becoming his wife. What will Alice's decision portend for her future as well as those of her family and suitors?
Told with heart, research as well as lots of dedication to the human emotions that control us, THE WAY OF BEAUTY by Camille Di Maio becomes a beautiful yet tangible memory of a tale that focuses on family, friendship and the values that have become lost to modern times.
There are a lot of things I enjoyed about THE WAY OF BEAUTY by Camille Di Maio, and one of those is the friendship and support between Pearl and Vera. It's rare to find novels and tales where female friendship is at the front and center of the tale, and where women actually support and cheer for one another, yet THE WAY OF BEAUTY by Camille Di Maio has that in spades and then some. The characters that populate the pages are expertly drawn that make them all too real to the reader, and one other thing I loved is the focus on everyday people rather than someone in a high position or authority.
For a wonderful and cleansing read that has the right balance between fiction and reality as well as where the focus is on friendship and family and finding a place to belong, THE WAY OF BEAUTY by Camille Di Maio should be on top of the to-read list.
Book Summary
Vera Keller, the daughter of German immigrants in turn- of-the-century New York City, finds her life upended when the man she loves becomes engaged to another woman. But Angelo Bellavia has also inadvertently opened up Vera’s life to unexpected possibilities. Angelo’s new wife, Pearl, the wealthy daughter of a clothing manufacturer, has defied her family’s expectations by devoting herself to the suffrage movement. In Pearl, Vera finds an unexpected dear friend…and a stirring new cause of her own. But when Pearl’s selfless work pulls her farther from Angelo and their son, the life Vera craved is suddenly within her reach—if her conscience will allow her to take it.
Her choice will define not only her future but also that of her daughter, Alice.
Vera and Alice—a generation and a world apart—are bound by the same passionate drive to fulfill their dreams. As first mother and then daughter come of age in a city that is changing as rapidly as its skyline, they’ll each discover that love is the only constant.
Read an Excerpt
by: Camille Di Maio
Lake Union Publishing
May 1, 2018
On Sale: May 1, 2018
Featuring: Vera Keller; Pearl Bellavia; Alice
384 pages
ISBN: 1503950123
EAN: 9781503950122
Kindle: B074H94421
Trade Size / e-Book