The Way of Beauty

Turn-of-the-century New York City is the home of many immigrant families trying to make it on their own in a bustling city that doesn’t always look out for the average person. Vera Keller is the daughter of one of those immigrant families and grows up watching her parents try to make ends meet by digging train tunnels and working long hours in poorly manned factories. When her mother dies she meets Angelo, an older boy working at his father’s newsstand, whom she becomes best friends with. It is not until Angelo becomes engaged to a woman named Pearl that Vera realizes her true feelings for Angelo. Pearl is the exact opposite of Angelo and Vera. She is the daughter of a wealthy clothing manufacturer and has never wanted for anything. show more Despite having everything money can by, Pearl is not jaded by her wealth and actively participates in the Suffrage Movement. Pearl’s passion for this work takes her away from Angelo and her young son from a previous marriage. As Vera plays nanny to this child, she finds herself growing closer to Angelo and the life she’s always wanted is within her grasp.

Vera’s life and the decisions she makes through the years have played a huge role in the future of her daughter, Alice. Despite being a generation apart and growing up in vastly different versions of New York, these two women have much more in common than they could ever know. Alice is every ounce as passionate about life as her mother was at the same age and she soon finds herself in a battle of the heart as well. Will Vera and Alice make decisions that bring them joy or will they suffer immense heartache along the way?

Driven by passion and love the coming of age stories of Vera and Alice unravel on the pages of THE WAY OF BEAUTY through elegant prose and vivid descriptions that truly transport the reader to New York through the years. Part one of the novel focuses on Vera and the events of her life that have brought her to be a mother to Alice. In part two we continue to see glimpses of Vera’s life, but the story shifts to focus on Alice at the same age as her mother in part one. Initially when the book flipped over to part two I was heartbroken to be away from Vera after growing so attached to her in the first half of the novel, but once Alice’s story started to build steam, I was over the moon with the direction of the book. Alice is every bit as determined as Vera and while love is the dominating overtone to the book, the reader is gifted with the unique ways love can impact a person through the split in focus.

A few years ago I was an avid reader of historical fiction, but fell off the bandwagon somewhere along the way. Camille Di Maio’s THE WAY OF BEAUTY reminded me of all the reasons I love historical fiction. The ease of her writing had me swept away to New York and walking beside Vera and Alice through their lives. THE WAY OF BEAUTY is truly a magic book that I would recommend to die-hard historical fiction fans and newbies alike.

A special thank you to Lori over at GetRedPR, Lake Union Publishing, and Camille Di Maio for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less

This book tells the story of two women in one family, Vera and Alice, with ties to Penn Station in New York City. It opens with Vera as a child watching the construction of Penn Station in 1900. After her mother dies, she cares for her father who suffers from the bends and associated mental health issues incurred during his work as a “sandhog,” the term for the workers that toiled underground to build the station. She is in love with her friend, Angelo, but he marries Pearl, a zealous suffragette. Vera and Pearl become close friends, but the relationship with Angelo becomes a barrier. At about the half-way point, the story shifts to Alice in the early 1940’s as the United States is being drawn into WWII. She is also involved in a show more love triangle, being pulled in two directions: one toward the mysterious and passionate Emmett and the other toward the more reliable William, a wealthy family connection.

The Way of Beauty is pitched as historical fiction, but it is really a romance. I enjoyed the portions of this narrative that focused on the suffragettes and the backstory of Penn Station. Unfortunately, the rest seems like a contemporary novel with modern sensibilities set in a historic time. I am not a romance reader, so the two love triangles were a bit much for me. The inner thoughts of Vera and Alice revolved around their feelings for the men in their lives. I thought this an odd choice for a book that purportedly tells the story of the early suffragette movement. The writing is not inspired, the dialogue is stilted, and the story gets progressively convoluted and melodramatic toward the end. I was interested enough to finish but, in the end, did not particularly enjoy it. show less

The Way of Beauty spans both World War I and World War II (and beyond, in the Epilogue) as it explores the lives of mother and daughter, Vera and Alice.

This is one of those books that ticks all the boxes for me – really well-developed, strong and likable characters (you’ll find your heart breaking for Vera), a wonderful story, an incredibly well-researched look at an era and an interesting angle (it’s been some time since I’ve read anything about the Suffragettes). Alice is a strong, independent woman and her story – and personality – was so different from her mother’s, and yet in the end, they each faced a challenging situation or decision when it came to love. This truly is a wonderful story of love and family.

And show more speaking of characters – because honestly, Camille Di Maio creates some really amazing characters in her writing – Pearl Pilkington was also a very complex, fascinating character. (Camille, I would love to see a novel on the Suffragette movement from the perspective of women like Pearl, hint, hint.)

The Way of Beauty may just make my list of favorite books for 2018!

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of the book via NetGalley and the publisher (Ok, fine - stalked NetGalley until I saw it available). All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

MY REVIEW OF “THE WAY OF BEAUTY” BY CAMILLE DI MAIO

BRAVO to Camille Di Maio, Author of “The Way of Beauty”, for a Literary Masterpiece and an Absolute Treasure. I loved everything about Camille Di Maio’s novel. From the descriptive historical perspectives of the culture, people, landscape and architecture to the colorful cast of characters through three generations, and the significant political statements of the times, the author has woven several stories and themes into an amazing , captivating, intriguing and enjoyable novel.

I loved the generational stories of families, hope and love. The contrast between the have and have-nots and the disparity of the rich and poor are mentioned. I loved the romantic descriptions of people show more as time goes on.

I appreciate the Woman’s fight for the right to vote, and the consequences and heartache at that time. Also mentioned is War, and disabilities and hardships. There are also devastating conditions in factories and work.

I am impressed at the way Camille Di Maio uses the comparison of historical buildings, and beauty to the emotions, sentiment, memory and history of people who lived during that time. The symbolism of the decorative architecture that reminds people of first love, and the ups and downs and the various stages in life.

As modern time brings more conveniences, the buildings, the train stations, that men sweated to build seem to be pushed aside to make way for the new. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for the past to merge and have a renewal with the modern world?

I am left thinking of so many things that are brought up in this novel. I highly recommend this story to everyone. There are some Kleenex moments. I received an ARC for my honest review. show less

This is absolutely one of the best historical fiction novels that I've read in a long time. The characters are well written and believable and the setting of NYC's Penn station is a perfect focal point to tie the two main characters together. I highly recommend this book!!!

Vera is the daughter of German immigrants who are forced to move when Penn Station is build in NYC. When she is older, she falls in love with the young man who runs the newsstand but he marries a suffragette who becomes a friend. When Vera realizes that Angelo is also in love with her, she disappears from his life. One generation later, her daughter Alice has a dilemma because she is in love with two men. Both main characters live in the shadow of Penn Station and show more this historical site is an important part of both stories.

Vera and Alice are both tying to to fulfill their dreams. As first mother and then daughter come of age , they’ll each discover that love is the only important thing in life. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

Vera Keller was in love with Angelo since she scraped her knee as a child and fell in front of his newspaper stand.

Vera thought she would one day be his wife, but realized that her station in life most likely would prevent that from happening. Her father worked as a Sandhog with men that built the underground train tunnels, and her mother worked in a garment factory. Both jobs ruined her parents' health and their lives.

Vera grew up, and when she was seventeen, she thought meeting Angelo at their appointed time was going to be it. He was going to ask her to marry him, right? Unfortunately, that didn't happen. He introduced Vera to his fiancee.

The good news, though, was that Pearl was a Suffragette, and she wanted Vera to help her. Being show more able to help Pearl would allow her to be close to Angelo. It was very difficult, though. Her heart ached every time Angelo smiled at her, but then Vera found out something that changed everything.

THE WAY OF BEAUTY is a beautiful book about love, family, Suffragettes, the building of Penn Station in New York and has characters you will fall in love with.

Vera was my favorite simply because of her innocence, goodness, perseverance with dealing with the trials she had to deal with as a woman at this time in both her personal life and public life.

Ms. Di Maio has written another amazing, warm, heartfelt, well-researched, detailed book, that takes you with the characters on their journey and into their lives.

All of Ms. Di Maio’s books warm your heart and allow you to feel her passion about causes and the human race.

THE WAY OF BEAUTY is a MUST read. You won't be able to experience all the emotions that are inside unless you read it.

As for the title, it has the perfect word in it...BEAUTY. The book is a beautiful tribute to mankind, love, caring, and living a good life. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by NetGalley and the author in return for an honest review. show less

I loved the beauty found in this book. The early women’s movement, the struggles of immigrants, the war, friendship, first love, enduring love and most of all family. This is not a story of our throw away society, it is a beautiful story of our society as it should be...take care of and maintain and always, love.

I so enjoyed every character, the beautifully described buildings and struggles of class and hardship. More than anything, this is a story about love. Ms. DiMaio’s writing is flawless, and detailed. You can feel the emotions jumping off the page.

Thanks to Ms. DiMaio and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.