A Lady of Good Family

I received this via FirstReads in exchange for an honest review A lovely book on a woman I had never heard of before this Beatrix is a fascinating woman and I applaud her for all that she achieved during her life The writing smoothly moves you along in the story, but I had trouble getting into the way the narrative was written at first It s narrated by Daisy Winters, as she s telling Beatrix s story to her friends at an inn Daisy was a good character and I could see myself being friends with her [...]

Vikki s MusingsI accepted this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review A Lady of Good Family is a glimpse of what the later days of the Gilded Age must have been like in Europe and America A time of privilege for member of society and the beginnings of the Nouveau Riche told in third person narrative by a fictional character to a group of friends in Massachusetts It is the story of a remarkable woman, Beatrix Jones Farrand, a renowned landscape artist It covers a [...]

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have read in a very long time.The story is of the early life of Beatrix Jones Farrand who was a real person She was an extremely talented landscape architect in the early part of the 20th century Her talent was so well known she not only designed gardens for private homes but also was the landscaper for Princeton University for than 30 years She did garden designing at the White House She was a success in her field at a time when women were no [...]

I received this a first read This was a lovely book I was not aware of Beatrix Farrand However, enjoyed reading about her She accomplish much in her life I also truly enjoy the author writing style She makes you care as much about the secondary characters as the main I also enjoyed how she dealt with the historical time period All in all a solid read.

Interesting Had actually never heard of this lady brfore the book Verry informative Won on.

The shaping of a world class American garden artist Beatrix Jones Farrand 1895 1920 told from Lenox, Massachusetts in backstories to Old World European and British gardens Are you thinking, who is Beatrix Jones Farrand If you ve ever admired the elegant gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC, or the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor, Maine, or Bellefield on FDR s Presidential Museum and Library site in Hyde Park, New York, or Yale s Memorial Quadrangle gardens some 200 public a [...]

This book was ok Beatrix Farrand was certainly a fascinating character, and including names like Henry James, Edith Wharton, Roosevelt, etc certainly gilded the cast However, the way the story was set up, a ghost story being told many years after the fact, in the context of the women s suffragette movement, and as a story being relayed while sitting on a porch, just didn t work for me The transitions between Beatrix s story and that of Mrs Winters is choppy, many of the metaphors feel forced, an [...]

I thought this book was a good story but there was a bit too much going on I almost put it down after the first two chapters the start is very confusing as there is no clear path as to what is going on and why you are meeting these people I think it just needed editing at the beginning Once you get past Chapter 3 or 4 it settles down and you can follow it, but its a shame as I m sure a lot of people would give up.

A good period romance but misleading in the beginning with the narrator retelling a ghost story that doesn t really materialise until the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour from the publisher via NetGalley and rated it 4 out of 5 Stars.A mixture of literary fiction and historical romance, A Lady of Good Family by Jeanne Mackin, tells the story of real life landscape architect Beatrix Jones Farrand Written in third person narrative, Ms Mackin s tale paints a picture of both America and Europe as both continents experience the last days of the Gilded Age, the ramping up of the Women s Rights moveme [...]

In The Gilded Age of the 1920s in New England, a woman was fated to marry, raise children, socialize and talk of mundane matters and travel to Europe to tour, rest and socialize some This then is the story of the passionate and famous gardener and landscape designer, Beatrix Farrand, who conforms at a minimum level but truly follows the dictates of her heart and soul.The story is narrated by Daisy Winters, a close friend of Beatrix, and the story opens with Beatrix s relationships with her Aunt [...]

This is the story of Beatrix Jones, raised amongst wealth, privilege, and social constraints at the turn of the century She counts Edith Wharton and Henry James as family and friends, however the Gilded Age was also a time when class and money were jockeying for precedence among society s elite and Beatrix falls in love with a man who may jeopardize both for her.Overall, it was a good book I found it hard to get into, because of the construct of the narrative within a narrative Although Daisy Wi [...]

I loved this romance It s an historical novel about a woman really existed Beatrix Jones Farrand, a landscape gardener and landscape architect in the United States, she has made than 100 gardens, including the White House She s a character so charming, I m really happy to have been able to know.It s set in the United States and in some European countries between the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, a period of great revolution for women they started to fight for their [...]

I chose this book because I especially love the Belle Epoch period, and who doesn t like gardens, especially in places like Rome I knew nothing of the real Beatrix Farrand 1872 1959 , a famed landscape designer ahead of her time, and the niece of novelist Edith Wharton, who appears as a character in the book along with real people like Henry James Jeanne Mackin s writing is as elegant as the gowns of The Gilded Age, really lovely What amazed me as I read was the fact that in many ways there were [...]

A young woman named Beatrix Jones is expected to be married by society, but she has her own plans for her future Witnessing relationships take a turn for the worse, including her mother s, makes her swear off marrying She discovers that her true passion lies in gardening rather than being married off and remaining a housewife, so the aspiring landscaper travels across Europe with her mother and aunt to study the unique botanical aspects it has to offer But while in Rome, she meets the endearing [...]

Keeping up with JonesesI love this book You will too if you like Edith Wharton s stories and Henry James Though I have a special connection When very young I once worked for a Jones lady as a secretary This lady had chosen to be an attorney in the antitrust field when women were not truly accepted as equals in the legal profession As the heroine in this story does both ladies excelled in their professions despite male and social prejudices To return to the book, the author captures the ambiance [...]

I liked the title and the lovely cover of this book, and that it was historical fiction involving one of my favorite authors Edith Wharton and her niece, a famous landscape artist who I hadn t heard of before But I didn t like the way the story was told I found it disjointed and confusing It was mostly about one character the niece , told by another character to complete strangers when she s an old lady, weaving back and forth between that and her own story and the niece s story I didn t like th [...]

This wasn t what I expected I went into it with high hopes, as it is the story of Beatrix Farrand, who was the first female landscape architect in the United States I was hoping for gardens, plants, and the story of the struggle of a strong young woman fighting against society s expectations to marry, and to have a careert only a career, but one in the male dominated bastion of landscape architecture The story is told from another character s POV, and Beatrix is a peripatetic character who wande [...]

This book seemed to start a bit slowly, so one has to take some time to get into the story I don t think the story becomes clear until fairly far into the book The narrator of the story is Daisy Winters, who was the model for the fictional character Daisy Miller And in the book Daisy not only narrates the stories of Edith Wharton and Beatrix Farrand, and Minnie Jones Beatrix s mother but also her own story all intertwined The author really seems to have captured the essence of feelings of the ti [...]

Beatrix Farrand was a garden designer in a time when it was rare for a woman to chose to work and rarer still to have a career In this book, Jeanne Mackin imagines Beatrix at the point in her life when she was starting on that career, traveling through Europe as part of her design training While there, she begins a relationship that forces her to decide between her career or marriage.Readers who enjoy Gilded Age authors such a Edith Wharton and Henry James will enjoy the cross overs in this nove [...]

I received this book via a Giveaway.It took me until chapter 10 to really get into this book It was good and I liked it I was just now wowed by it The narrative was great A story being told within a story I loved how this book was based on real historical people and events I wish there was an epilogue telling what happened to the people but I guess that s what the internet is for I love how independent Beatrix is in a time when women were not supposed to be independent They were supposed to stay [...]

I admit this novel was not what I expected however very good The story was as much about Daisy as it was Beatrix and all the better for it The two perspectives in the story allowed for depth, being that even the author himself spoke of how private Beatrix was in real life There were so many life lessons on marriage in this book that I quite enjoyed, expecially because I myself will be married this fall I wasn t expecting a love story but it definitely was one It was fait, however, it lingered t [...]

Could not get into this book and I really tried because it was my book club s selection for this month Maybe because I don t know enough about the literary references to Edith Wharton and Henry James, or maybe because I m just not that interested in gardening If you have knowledge or interest in either, maybe this book will be enjoyable to you I read about 100 pages and couldn t go on So tedious and filled with characters of no interest and so much gardening talk.

If you are a gardener or love to visit beautiful gardens, read this book I loved reading about how a professional gardener the book is based on real life professional garden designer, Beatrix Jones designs not just for visual pleasure, but to evoke our emotions at significant times in our lives on a first date, when suffering a loss, or feeling pure joy.

I received this book from First Reads in exchange for a honest review I really enjoyed this book I found the characters very interesting This is a historical fiction The book was great I would like to read from the author.

won this book early this morning from is came in today where I work just so happens I was there when it came this evening why it came to where I work is beyond me It had my home addressnt wait to read it.

I received this book as a first read It s a well written piece of historical fiction It incorporates history, art, mythology, and literature Fans of Hemingway, Miller, and other American expat writers in Europe will appreciate the writing style of the book A good story with solid dialogue.

A terrific read not quite of the caliber as the beautiful American, but enjoyable none the less.

really liked the narrator and the fact that some of the character were based on real people The tale was a love story and a ghost story.

Jeanne Mackin does it again, translating history into tantalizing, beautiful narrative I love how much I learn when I read her book and how much I enjoy the journey.