The Gilded Years (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781501110450)

Passing meets The House of Mirth in this "utterly captivating" (Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen House) historical novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black student to attend Vassar, who successfully passed as white--until she let herself grow too attached to the wrong person.

Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country's most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that would have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, this daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, the scion of one of New York's most prominent families.

Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie's sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it's like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman--the person everyone believes her to be--and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. It's only when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita's brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister's, that the situation becomes particularly perilous. And as Anita's college graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, an era when old money traditions collided with modern ideas, Tanabe has written an unputdownable and emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal--and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.

Author: Karin Tanabe
ISBN-10: 1501110454
ISBN-13: 9781501110450
Publisher: Atria Books
Language: English
Published: 06/07/2016
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.30w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 02/01/2016 pg. 52
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2016
Booklist 05/01/2016 pg. 73
BookPage 06/01/2016
Library Journal 06/15/2016 pg. 71
Library Journal 02/01/2016