Publication Date: October 1, 2024
From New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble comes a thrilling historical novel about the inception of the Colony Club, the first women’s club of its kind, set against the dazzling backdrop of Gilded Age New York.
When young Gilded Age society matron Daisy Harriman is refused a room at the Waldorf because they don’t cater to unaccompanied females, she takes matters into her own hands. She establishes the Colony Club, the first women’s club in Manhattan, where visiting women can stay overnight and dine with their friends; where they can discuss new ideas, take on social issues, and make their voices heard. She hires the most sought-after architect in New York, Stanford White, to design the clubhouse.
As “the best dressed actress on the Rialto” Elsie de Wolfe has an eye for décor, but her career is stagnating. So when White asks her to design the clubhouse interiors, she jumps at the chance and the opportunity to add a woman’s touch. He promises to send her an assistant, a young woman he’s hired as a draftsman.
Raised in the Lower East Side tenements, Nora Bromely is determined to become an architect in spite of hostility and sabotage from her male colleagues. She is disappointed and angry when White “foists” her off on this new women’s club project.
But when White is murdered and the ensuing Trial of the Century discloses the architect’s scandalous personal life, fearful backers begin to withdraw their support. It’s questionable whether the club will survive long enough to open.
Daisy, Elsie, and Nora have nothing in common but their determination to carry on. But to do so, they must overcome not only society’s mores but their own prejudices about women, wealth, and each other. Together they strive to transform Daisy’s dream of the Colony Club into a reality, a place that will nurture social justice and ensure the work of the women who earned the nickname “Mink Brigade” far into the future.
Women in the early 20th century chafed under societal norms restricting their abilities. While men enjoyed spending time at their social clubs, women didn’t have that luxury.
Author Shelley Noble serves up a slice of biographical historical fiction celebrating the determined women of the Gilded Age who served as the visionaries for The Colony Club.
Daisy Harriman leads the effort, along with other wealthy society matrons. The story spans two timelines six decades apart. As part of a newspaper interview in 1963, Daisy recalls the events beginning in 1902.
The story highlights the perspectives of three women: Daisy, the leader; Elsie, the former actress turned interior designer; and Nora, the aspiring architect determined to break into the male-dominated field.
Reading about Nora’s struggle to practice her craft makes me appreciate the sacrifices the women of this era made to lay the foundation for those of us who came after.
Woven into the story is also a contrast of social classes. Nora, who barely has enough money to make ends meet, is not used to the opulence Daisy and Elsie consider necessary. However, her character evolves tremendously as the storyline develops.
The three women must overcome a scandal threatening the future of the club before it can even open.
The Colony Club shines the spotlight on Manhattan women determined to create a social club from the ground up, paving the way for women’s voices to be heard.
Shelley Noble is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Whisper Beach, Beach Colors, and The Tiffany Girls, the story of the largely unknown women artists responsible for much of Tiffany’s legendary glasswork, as well as several historical mysteries. A former professor, professional dancer and choreographer, she now lives in New Jersey halfway between the shore, where she loves visiting lighthouses and vintage carousels, and New York City, where she delights in the architecture, the theatre, and ferreting out the old stories behind the new. Shelley is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Historical Novel Society.
