Julia's Story

Recreating the shattered world of wealthy New York society following the stock market crash of 1929, Rae ( Brownstone Facade ) examines the impact of the Depression on one woman's life. After the crash and the untimely death of her husband, Julia Hastings, a high-spirited beauty, moves with her parents to a modest apartment. As her father suffers a series of strokes, Julia begins a love affair with a wealthy bookseller who is killed in a freak accident. Her father dies, her mother moves to the family vacation home in East Hampton and Julia is forced to take lodgings in a coldwater flat and find a job as a salesgirl. Her luck miraculously changes when she discovers a large sum in bonds concealed behind a mirror. According to a promissory note, the bonds clearly belong to Seth Barnes, who worked for Julia's father as a bootlegger. Desperate, Julia and her brothers destroy the note and divide the money. Complications arise when Barnes comes to claim his money--and falls in love with Julia. Rae's sensitive prose evokes the mood and feel of the Depression; unfortunately, the fairytale aspects of the plot allow readers to predict the happy ending early on. (July)