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From New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller M.J. Rose comes a provocative and moving story of a young female architect in post-World War II Manhattan, who stumbles upon a hidden treasure and begins a journey to discovering her mother's life during the fall of the Romanovs.
Sophia Moon had always been reticent about her life in Russia and when she dies, suspiciously, on a wintry New York evening, Isobelle despairs that her mother's secrets have died with her. But while renovating the apartment they shared, Isobelle discovers something among her mother's effects—a stunning silver tiara, stripped of its jewels.
Isobelle's research into the tiara's provenance draws her closer to her mother's past—including the story of what became of her father back in Russia, a man she has never known. The facts elude her until she meets a young jeweler, who wants to help her but is conflicted by his loyalty to the Midas Society, a covert international organization whose mission is to return lost and stolen antiques, jewels, and artwork to their original owners.
Told in alternating points of view, the stories of the two young women unfurl as each struggles to find their way during two separate wars. In 1915, young Sofiya Petrovitch, favorite of the royal household and best friend of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, tends to wounded soldiers in a makeshift hospital within the grounds of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and finds the love of her life. In 1948 New York, Isobelle Moon works to break through the rampant sexism of the age as one of very few women working in a male-dominated profession and discovers far more about love and family than she ever hoped for.
In M.J. Rose's deftly constructed narrative, the secrets of Sofiya's early life are revealed incrementally, even as Isobelle herself works to solve the mystery of the historic Romanov tiara (which is based on an actual Romanov artifact that is, to this day, still missing)—and how it is that her mother came to possess it. The two strands play off each other in finely-tuned counterpoint, building to a series of surprising and deeply satisfying revelations.
"With several intertwining mysteries and a nod to romance, this historical tale of the demise of Mother Russia, a hidden treasure, and long lost love illustrates how the wounds of war can leave a hole in the truth despite a mother's love and best intentions." - Booklist
"Engrossing...chronicles a New York City architect's quest to unravel the mystery behind a tiara she finds hidden in a wall of her late mother's Manhattan apartment in 1948...a wonderfully twisty plot...that keeps the reader wanting to know more. Fans of Russian history and art will find much to appreciate in this winning story." - Publishers Weekly
"Filled with strong female characters, striking plot twists, and heartrending romance, The Last Tiara is historical fiction as its very best. I highly recommend it." - Fiona Davis, New York Times-bestselling author author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
"This is the book we all need now. In this lush, romantic, expertly-crafted tale of hidden jewels and family secrets, M.J. Rose transports us to 1915 Russia and 1948 New York, to entwine the lives of two strong women. I disappeared into this story and didn't want to come back." - Wendy Webb, bestselling author of The Haunting of Brynn Wilder
This information about The Last Tiara was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother's favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice... Books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it.
Rose is a New York Times, Wall St. Journal and USAToday bestseller as well as an international best seller. She has published more than nineteen novels and 3 books on marketing. She has been published in more than 30 countries and sold over 1.5 million books. The Fox TV show Past Lives was based on Rose's novel, The Reincarnationist.
Rose is a founding member of International ...
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