From a cloistered 1950s Mississippi town founded by freed slaves to the striking diversity of Paris and Rome, through Wall Streetâs glittering Roaring 80s to the present day, this sweeping, unforgettably moving novel chronicles one Southern Black girlâs remarkable journey through turbulent decadesâand the four men who challenge her to fight for happiness.
Freedom fighter, brilliant businessperson, devoted wife, master of languages, and ultimately, savior of a European dynasty. Claudia Patterson would become all of theseâspurred on by the fiercely powerful loves and losses along the way âŠ
Denny Clark. An abused thirteen-year-old White boy whose life twelve-year-old Claudia savesâcomplicating her own life for years to come.
Robert Moore. A young Black lawyer who becomes Claudiaâs beloved husband and partner on the explosive front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. Amid the violence of the Ku Klux Klan, Claudia has a shocking personal encounterâwith unimaginable consequences.
Ashley Booth. A Wall Street executive who brings the glamour of New York alive for the now-widowed Claudia, introducing her to an elite circle of Black peers. But their long yet uncommitted romance leads Claudia to move onâto an overseas assignment at an Italian bank.
Giancarlo Pasquale Fortenza. An Italian automobile industrialist, once enamored of a young Claudiaâhandsome, worldly, and twelve years her senior. A man with whom Claudia reconnects, bringing her life full circle in the boldest, bravest, and most unexpected ways âŠ
Rich with history and timeless emotion, here is an epic tale of rising through poverty, racism, and heartbreakâand the awesome role of our most significant relationships throughout our lives.