The Lacemaker's Fortune - by Andrea Catalano (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In the 1870s, the fate of an immigrant desperate to escape the factories of New York City collides with the ambitions and passion of two men in an enthralling and darkly sensual novel by the author of The First Witch of Boston.

New York City, 1879. Eileen Maguire is a factory lacemaker limited by her humble circumstances and dreaming of a better life. Lawrence Barnard is the sole heir of one of Manhattan's wealthiest families, but his means keep him confined by the expectations of society. When their paths cross one fateful winter night, Eileen and Lawrence become caught under the spell of the charismatic and enterprising Stanley Jones, who extolls the boundless opportunities awaiting in the West. The millinery shop Eileen dreams of owning with her sister is possible, as is the freedom to make his own choices that Lawrence so craves.

What begins as an idealistic journey westward quickly becomes something unexpected and sinister once the group lands in Leadville, Colorado, a wild silver mining boomtown high in the Rocky Mountains. A love triangle emerges, pitting promises and passion against betrayals and lies. With their starry-eyed intentions gone terribly awry and forbidden desires threatening to undo them, it will take heartbreak and a shocking secret to shake Eileen and Lawrence out of their blinded stupors and remind them that their fortunes are entirely in their own hands. Set against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, this is a dark tale of dangerous, suspenseful seduction.

Review Quotes

"Catalano's character and world-building ably bring to life an era fueled by superstition, repression, and intolerance...I can see this book appealing to the many fans of Ariel Lawhon's The Frozen River and Chris Bohjalian's Hour of the Witch, and eagerly look forward to reading whatever Catalano writes next." --Historical Novels Review

"Fans of The Frozen River will love The First Witch of Boston! Fiery, outspoken Margaret Jones and her husband, Thomas, find themselves outliers in straitlaced Puritan Boston, but trouble back in England leaves them no choice but to make a home in Massachusetts. When Thomas draws the spite of a local widow and Margaret's skill with healing herbs rouses suspicion of black magic, both will find themselves battling witch-hunters in a court case destined to make history. Andrea Catalano draws a tender, intimate portrait of a marriage and a bold defense of an independent woman ahead of her time." --Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

"Far and away the best novel I have ever read on this shocking chapter of our nation's history. It began decades before Salem, when the first woman to be targeted and executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts was Margaret Jones in 1648. In this story of Margaret Jones's tragedy, the settings, the characters, and the inexorable end are brought stunningly to life in a lyrically written tale of both love and betrayal." --Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of The Memoirs of Cleopatra

"A sumptuous and heartrending tale of the dark power of fear, loss, and love against all odds, The First Witch of Boston is a moving and accomplished debut." --Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling author of Queens of London

"I knew I was going to love this novel from the first page, where Andrea Catalano immerses you in the world of seventeenth-century Boston. Her research is impeccable but never gets in the way of a gripping, emotional story. Thomas Jones's love for his outspoken, opinionated wife, Maggie, and hers for him, are beautifully described, and their tragedy is almost Shakespearean. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time." --Gill Paul, internationally bestselling author of Scandalous Women

"Andrea Catalano's The First Witch of Boston conjures the treacherous history of witches, women, and injustice in America. Her research is ambitious and beyond impeccable. But it is the exquisite portrayal of a marriage that is the star at the beating heart of this novel, and the best I've read in years." --Kimberly Brock, bestselling author of The Fabled Earth and The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare

"Catalano's timely and heart-wrenching treatise about the injustices against women in early America will leave traces etched in the reader's soul. Sensory, sensual, and evocative, The First Witch of Boston is the not-to-be-missed historical fiction debut of the season." --Aimie K. Runyan, bestselling author of The School for German Brides and Mademoiselle Eiffel

"What a wonderful, moving novel. Catalano's debut is great historical fiction that brings the past alive in an exquisitely human, truly emotional way. I absolutely loved it." --Megan Chance, bestselling author of Glamorous Notions

"A brilliant debut, full of passion, peril, and heartbreak. Between her gorgeous prose and her endearing characters, Andrea Catalano has established herself as one of the most exciting new authors in historical fiction." --Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow

"A rare and powerful debut--one that will hold you in thrall from beginning to end. Catalano gives voice to all the passion, anguish, and injustice surrounding the life and death of a woman who deserved a better fate than the one history dealt her. Lyrically written and impeccably researched, The First Witch of Boston settles into the deepest places in your soul, and remains there long after finishing. An artful, important masterpiece of historical fiction." --Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain