Set against late 19th‑century New York and a quiet rural town, this fiction follows a celebrated painter and the social world that surrounds him. When a portrait arrives from Rome and a circle of aristocrats and artists gathers to view it, readers glimpse how appearance, desire, and reputation intertwine. The story leans on memory, romance, and the unspoken anxieties of a culture that values both beauty and status.

As observers watch the portrait’s gaze and the characters’ reactions, questions arise about identity, influence, and the price of passion. The book builds a rich atmosphere of salons, galleries, and whispered judgments, inviting readers to weigh charm against consequence.

Explore a vivid portrait of art, society, and ambition in an era of glittering surfaces and hidden motives.
Meet a cast of nuanced characters whose alliances and rivalries drive the plot without relying on modern clich�s.
Follow a summer in Arcadia that unsettles expectations and tests loyalties.
Uncover how art and life illuminate each other, offering insight into the era’s culture and values.

Ideal for readers who enjoy literary realism set among artists, collectors, and the elite of the Gilded Age.

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We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

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