Pinkerton's Sister — Peter Rushforth

For Alice Pinkerton, trapped in a suffocating life of convention and party chatter, 1903 New York society is enough to make a woman mad -- or at least make her a madwoman in the attic. So Alice escapes through the looking glass of literature, finding companionship and inspiration in Shakespeare, Wilde, Hawthorne, Stevenson, Poe, Austen, and the rest of the literary pantheon of her day. Like a character from one of her favorite novels, Alice holds a biting, eccentric view of life, seeing beyond the limitations of her circumstances to create a fascinating portrait of her society.

Heartbreaking and wildly funny, intelligent and dazzling in its range, Pinkerton's Sister is a true celebration of the imagination and a mesmerizing example of the saving power of fiction. Most of all, it is the quintessential novel for readers.