3.75✩
Joy Callaway’s newest novel transports readers to the glamour, the glory and the unique decor of The Greenbrier landmark in West Virginia. Incredibly rich in details and romantic, the book is a captivating story presenting the early life and the career of famous decorator Dorothy Draper.

Callaway beautifully balances historical facts and events in addition to architecture and design elements in an engrossing and charming story. Following two timelines, the first in 1908 and the second in the 1940s, we are introduced to the confines of high society with immersive world-building, compelling characters and famous guests. The author delights us with surprises, art, fashion and architecture references, and political cameos.

It was my first time reading about The Greenbrier's expansive and fascinating story. I loved how Callaway brought the very resort to life as one of the main characters and great romances and how we were able to get a firsthand look at Dorothy Draper’s life through a lovely portrait of one of the most enchanting and independent women in her time. Some passages were a little tedious and repetitive to read, but overall, The Greenbrier was a pleasant read.

Sometimes while reading historical fiction accounts one discovers there is barely a whisper of history. Not so, this Greenbrier Resort. The main characters Dorothy Draper, who became a renowned interior designer, and The Greenbrier, a wonderful summer resort edifice which even presidents of the USA would be guests, were both very real. The Greenbrier still "lives" on to today, having withstood the winds of time since we are introduced in the story line of this book which begins in 1908. The time line actually straddles those earlier Victorian times, and into the 1940's. The Victorian society rules that strictly governed what women could and could not do certainly is portrayed and how it overshadowed and affected them unjustly, especially in the upper eschelons of old-wealth families.

What made this story perk along in a most intriquing, fictional manner was the unauthorized and unrequited cloak of romance between Dorothy and heart-throbbingly handsome Enzo, the Italian. Both were faint with love for each other but were torn apart; would they ever reunite?

For those interested in learning more about that earlier era and the history of Dorothy Draper, her magnificent interior design work and of her protege, Carleton Varney, there is a list of further recommended reading.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

January 2022

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own based on this copy.

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A little over five years ago, I spent New Year's Eve with a group of friends at The Greenbrier Resort. It is among the top trips in my life thus far, and the experience will always stay with me. From the décor of the hotel to the extravagant meals, underground bunker, elaborate grounds, and monumental history within its walls, I can't imagine a way to spend a better start to a new year. When I saw this book on NetGalley, I absolutely had to read it. Thankfully, I received an early copy and am keen to share my unbiased opinions in this review.

Historical fiction can be tough to write. So much of the detail must be precise, yet the story needs to have flair and drama in order to hook readers. I remembered much about the resort and Dorothy Draper, which was handled spectacularly, but I also learned immense more from this novel. Set in two time periods, just before World War 1 and the late 1940s, we meet a young Dorothy who's been promised to the son of a wealthy family friend. All the rich and famous, proper families summer at The Greenbrier, then known as White Sulphur Springs, and it's about coming out parties and politics. What a time period to have been part of!? I might've been born in the wrong century.

Dorothy and her pseudo-beau do not want to be married, but they love one another as friends. Then a race car driver from Italy arrives, and everything changes. In the 1940s, after World War Two, Dorothy returns, now divorced from a doctor (neither the original beau or the race car driver) and is given the gigantic task of redesigning The Greenbrier after it served as a war hospital and high-end prison for foreign diplomats. Her ex-husband's new wife is one of the decorators who might steal the job from Dorothy, and her kids have flocked to the new wife. Where did her life go wrong, she essentially asks?

Callaway does a wonderful job balancing the history and design elements of this special place. She uses facts and fiction to create a bright and curious story, allowing us to love and hate Dorothy's personality all at the same time. Much of the glory about the hotel is found in the details of this book, and I found myself eager to keep reading of the relationships, design ideas, and conflicts brewing in Dorothy's life. A side story with a long-time worker at the hotel adds the perfect sentimentality, and the hijinks of the girls from the early time period is charming. I found myself a bit overwhelmed in a few tedious details and monologue-like scenes, but mostly it flowed seamlessly. Easily 4.5 stars.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically. Having lived near The Greenbrier most of my life, it was fun to read this book. The artist has woven an entertaining story. The characters are likable and the story moves quickly. The past and the present…her present actually…the main character…and the men she loves…or the one man…decorating the Greenbrier…I liked this book…although I read it electronically, I will buy this book when it is published…a great delightful read…