Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Diane Chamberlain for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel - 5 glowing stars for a wonderful book that I just didn't want to put down.
Told in two voices and two different timeframes, this is a beautifully written story about prejudice and secrets. In 2018, Morgan Christopher is in jail in North Carolina for a crime she didn't commit. Only 22 years old, she lost everything - her boyfriend, her future in art school, and her freedom. A mysterious pair of women show up one day and offer her a deal - a get out of jail free card for restoring an old mural by a very short deadline. Knowing nothing about art restoration but desperate for freedom, she accepts and is driven to Edenton to begin work.
In 1940, Anna Dale, from New Jersey, won a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton. When she arrives, she is faced with pushback from the men in town that the local portrait artist was passed over for a young girl from New Jersey. Armed with determination, Anna begins work on her mural, enlisting local high school students to assist her.
The melding of these two stories is so wonderfully written. The prejudices of the day and time when Anna was working were very different yet still somewhat present in Morgan's world and both women had much to prove to others and themselves. Highly recommended - don't miss this read!
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