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Title details for The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks - Wait list

The Wharton Plot

by Mariah Fredericks
Kitty Hendrix
Audiobook
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Wait time: About 4 weeks
New York City, 1911. Edith Wharton, almost equally famed for her novels and her sharp tongue, is bone-tired of Manhattan. Finding herself at a crossroads with both her marriage and her writing, she makes the decision to leave America, her publisher, and her loveless marriage. And then, dashing novelist David Graham Phillips—a writer with often notorious ideas about society and women's place in it—is shot to death outside the Princeton Club. Edith herself met the man only once, when the two formed a mutual distaste over tea in the Palm Court of the Belmont hotel. When Phillips is killed, Edith's life takes another turn. His sister is convinced Graham was killed by someone determined to stop the publication of his next book, which promised to uncover secrets that powerful people would rather stayed hidden. Though unconvinced, Edith is curious. What kind of book could push someone to kill? Inspired by a true story, The Wharton Plot follows Edith Wharton through the fading years of the Gilded Age in a city she once loved so well, telling a taut tale of fame, love, and murder, as she becomes obsessed with solving a crime.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 23, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666653922
      • File size: 254559 KB
      • Duration: 08:50:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 30, 2023
      Fredericks (The Lindbergh Nanny) presents a vivid portrait 20th–century book publishing and New York City high society in this fascinating if leisurely paced historical standalone featuring House of Mirth author Edith Wharton as a sleuth. It’s January 1911, and novelist David Graham Phillips has been shot on his way out of the Princeton Club in New York. Wharton met the man once, at the Belmont Hotel, and found him “arrogant, entitled, belittling,” and undeniably handsome. After Phillips’s death, his sister urges Wharton to read his soon-to-be-published novel and perhaps champion it upon release. Wharton agrees, and the more she talks to Phillips’s sister, the more she becomes convinced he was targeted deliberately. Fredericks is in no hurry to identify a culprit, preferring to pepper her narrative with appearances from Wharton’s old friend Henry James, scenes depicting Wharton’s disintegrating relationship with her paramour Morton Fullerton, dazzling glimpses of the social lives of the Vanderbilts, and a phone call to Mary Roberts Rhinehart to ask the mystery writer’s opinions on how to investigate a murder. Each of those elements adds depth and touches of humor to this entertaining mystery. Readers looking for a bit of history with their suspense will be gripped.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Inspired by a true event--the 1911 murder of muckraking writer David Graham Phillips--this well-researched mystery casts author Edith Wharton as a reluctant detective probing the death and life of a man she abhorred. Kitty Hendrix performs in a low-register breathy voice that emphasizes Wharton's mix of high-society manners and fierce determination. Her moderate pace allows listeners time to soak up the book's many period details. It also underscores the formality of the writing, which sometimes seems to reflect Wharton's own style. As Wharton investigates, she enlists the help of her friend Henry James and lover Morton Fullerton, adding to the historical fun. While Hendrix's heavy breathing occasionally distracts, this is a satisfying period mystery set in a colorful milieu. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2024

      Fredericks's (The Lindbergh Nanny) latest centers on The House of Mirth author Edith Wharton, who returns to New York from Europe in 1911 to negotiate contract terms for her next book. Having reached middle age, Wharton is contemplating a new life, having tired of New York, her foundering marriage, and society in general. She is introduced to fellow writer David Graham Phillips and instantly dislikes the man. He is condescending and dismissive of her work, boasting only about his own forthcoming novel. When he turns up dead just a few days later, Wharton attends his funeral out of curiosity. There she meets Phillips's grieving sister, who begs Wharton to endorse his new book. Wharton agrees to read the manuscript and soon is caught up in the case, intent on finding Phillips's killer, no matter the cost. Fredericks skillfully depicts the glittering world of Gilded Age high society and describes changing attitudes toward women's place in the world. Kitty Hendrix narrates, supplying Wharton with a perfectly pitched voice of privilege. VERDICT Listeners will be captivated by the elegant setting and the inclusion of real details and people from Edith Wharton's life. A winning historical mystery.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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