They say behind every great man is a woman. Fields’s love and respect for all her characters and her care in telling their stories shines through.”

By focusing on these two women from vastly different backgrounds, Jennie Fields miraculously illuminates an entire era….“Delicate and imaginative. With astonishing tenderness and immediacy, The Age of Desire portrays the interwoven lives of Edith Wharton and Anna Bahlmann, her governess, secretary, and close friend. Fields’ imagining of the passions, desperation and divided loyalties of her subjects is mesmerizing. This is a heartbreaking, exquisitely told story. Perceptive… Deeply felt… Sheds welcome light on the little-known life of a famous woman Booklist One doesn’t have to be an Edith Wharton fan to luxuriate in the Wharton-esque plotting and prose Fields so elegantly conjures.

It’s also a moving examination of a friendship between two women. Inspired by Wharton’s letters, The Age of Desire is by turns sensuous. Fields portrays a woman whose life was hardly innocence and mirth, but passionate, complex and more mysterious than one might ever imagine Mary Morris, author of Nothing to Declare and Revenge In the vein of Loving Frank or The Paris Wife, Jennie Fields has created a page-turning period piece. appeal to those who enjoyed Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife. to re-create the exciting literary landscape of Paris and New York in the first decade of the 20th century. Publishers Weeklyįields supplements the story with fascinating excerpts from Wharton’s actual letters and includes appearances by other authors of the period. Fields’s love and respect for all her characters and her care in telling their stories shines through. Wendy Holden, Daily Mailĭelicate and imaginative. an imaginative tour-de-force with the best-written naughty bits I have ever read. Fields brings a secret side of Wharton to life, and shows us a woman whose elegant façade concealed a turbulent sensuality Daisy Goodwinīeautiful.

Irene Goldman-Price, editor of My Dear Governess: The Letters of Edith Wharton to Anna BahlmannĪ fascinating insight into the life of my favourite novelist. Fields immerses us in Wharton’s household, her social milieu, and her most private self. Portrayal of Edith Wharton in love is imaginative and bold and offers a touching view of Wharton.

The age of desire by jennie fields