#ReadThis #OurKindofPeople by #MoverandShaker #CarolWallace @PutnamBooks
The Latest and Greatest!
An absolute must-read says Peachy Deegan.
Welcome to the Carol Wallace Hit Parade on Whom You Know.
Of course you know her by now.
She is absolutely our kind of person.
Carol Wallace was first interviewed as a Mover and Shaker in 2013:
To Marry an English Lord earned our Highest Recommendation:
This book inspired Downton Abbey which we celebrated our 12,000th post with-now we are on 26-thousand-something.
Carol Wallace was featured as an Awesome Author also in 2013:
And of course everyone has read The Official Preppy Handbook and memorized it; she was one of the authors.
This month Carol has penned a new modern classic with a glorious novel of Manhattan's Gilded Age Elite in "Our Kind of People," the perfect book to cozy up with this winter. Society here is a timeless tradition and Carol's fabulous look back at the past spinning a tale of the trials and tribulations of the Wilcox family and their rollercoaster ride in social mobility sets the standard for excellence in novels coming out in 2022. Few of her competitors shine at this level today and for every 10 classics you should be reading like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Twain and Dickens it is a clearcut challenge to find someone current that can compete as Carol has proven she can once again.
Enter into another world in the transformative experience in Our Kind of People! It's escapism at its best. Bien sur mes amies we were most thrilled to see WHOM used correctly on page 239.
Our panel was delighted with the family dynamics of the Wilcox family which also transcend time. From birth order to era grown up to personality to demographic background, each individual character is painted in incredible detail emblazoned with the best in writing entertainment all dancing around (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively) an intelligent plot that also proves to be quite pleasing.
Also, Our Kind of People is the ideal remedy for being sick of living in the age of Covid. It is a total welcome escape and allows you to time-travel in style; Carol is the ultimate arbiter of taste and there is a lot to learn from her and the people she creates as you intelligently read inbetween the lines. Ballroom Manners matter. Descriptions are stunning and flow beautifully; we particularly liked the top half of page 271. And of course we love the Tiffany's product placement and remember back in this era it was American-owned.
In yesteryear, traffic in Manhattan was quite a different matter and can you imagine life here without the subway? Do you think it was always here?!? And even teeny tiny fourth avenue makes an appearance at the start. Taking place in the late 19th century, Our Kind of People is the life of our ancestors. If you remember watching The Paradise or Mr. Selfridge, those came to our mind in reading this work. We particularly like the Gatsby-esque Felix.
If you are a stock and bonds and investment-kind of person you will be delighted with the speculative opportunities back in the day. And you can laugh at them because when you fast-forward in time you obviously know which ones worked!
The concept of being chaperoned might seem funny at first glance but then when you consider what crime is like here today (up with the NYPD we miss you Ray Kelly and the Citizen app) and just look at @MichaelRapaport for visual evidence that maybe we want to bring those chaperones back. Everything old maybe should be new again.
We were happy to see Delmonico's mentioned and years ago it was a Peachy's Pick (read more here.) However, if the Wilcoxes came back to life today and lived on 53rd between 5th and 6th we would tell them to go to Il Gattopardo. Also did you know recently bereaved ladies didn't go shopping? Quel dommage as we think shopping is the perfect remedy for most things. And are champagne fountains really vulgar? We haven't seen enough but certainly it is time to break them out as we are quite over things being shut down.
Drama between these pages ensues but we won't reveal any secrets: the idea is that you READ THIS. We love the concept of secret notes. If you thought Mean Girls was a new concept, you are sadly mistaken. And if you are a writer alive today, read this and Carol will show you how it's done. We hope there is a sequel.
Our Kind of People is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know
Oscar says don't miss Trixie the Pug in it!
Among New York City's Gilded Age elite, one family will defy convention. This captivating hook sets the tone for OUR KIND OF PEOPLE by Carol Wallace, on-sale from Putnam January 11, 2022. Carol Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of To Marry an English Lord, which inspired the hit TV drama Downtown Abbey, knows how to write about the worlds of the wealthy. OUR KIND OF PEOPLE is the first novel from Wallace in a decade, and packs a charming and cutthroat punch as it explores themes of social and economic class, family bonds, changing times, and the courage it takes to forge your own path - all told in an effortless voice that readers of Jane Austen and fans of Bridgerton will devour.
Helen Wilcox has one desire: to successfully launch her daughters into society. From the upper crust herself, Helen's unconventional—if happy—marriage has made the girls' social position precarious. Then her husband gambles the family fortunes on an elevated railroad that he claims will transform the face of the city and the way the people of New York live, but will it ruin the Wilcoxes first? As daughters Jemima and Alice navigate the rise and fall of their family—each is forced to re-examine who she is, and even who she is meant to love.
In this world, an invitation or an avoided glance can be the difference between fortune and ruin, and readers will root for the relatable Wilcox family as they battle against the ruthless high society they inhabit. For fans of Pride and Prejudice, Jemima and Alice Wilcox feel like the American cousins to Elizabeth and Jane Bennett, surrounded by a grand city setting which immerses readers thoroughly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carol Wallace has written more than twenty books, including the New York Times bestseller To Marry an English Lord, which was an inspiration for Downton Abbey. She is also the author of an historical novel, Leaving Van Gogh, and a co-author of The Official Preppy Handbook. Wallace holds degrees from Princeton University and Columbia University, and is the great-great-granddaughter of Lew Wallace, author of the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which was first published in 1880. She currently lives in New York, New York.
OUR KIND OF PEOPLE • By Carol Wallace • G. P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 978-0-525-54002-1
