If you love the great classics, or you want to give a bibliophile a wonderful gift, this leather-bound keepsake volume has three of the great American novels by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Grand Design is a love story that takes place at the iconic Greenbrier. And The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a juicy beach reach with a touch of intrigue.

A Keepsake: The Great Gatsby and Other Works

If you love the great classic, or you want to give a bibliophile a wonderful gift, this leather-bound keepsake volume has three of the great American novels by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the incomparable chronicler of the Jazz Age.

Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most acclaimed novels of the 20th century, and literary scholars regard him as one of the finest American writers of all time. His stories were the stories of the “Lost Generation,” Americans who came of age after World War I, amid Prohibition and the rise of jazz, and who responded to the uncertainty and change of the time by living each day to the hilt. Included in this attractive, leather-bound volume of Fitzgerald’s most notable long-form works are tales of wealth, romance, and scandal: The Great Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, and The Beautiful and Damned. It’s a time capsule of America in the 1920s and 1930s. Get the book.

~Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato.”

Absolutely Loved this Beautiful Book

I am not even sure where to begin with my review of The Grand Design by Joy Callaway.  This book has so many emotions. You will be thinking of this story long after you have finished the last page.  Growing up in West Virginia, I was very familiar with The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs  but the way Joy Callaway presented her dual timeline narrative drew me into this story immediately.  The descriptions of the resort are so beautifully done,  you will feel as if you were right there.  All the characters are fascinating, you will love them.

The book begins in the summer of 1908 when socialite Dorothy Tuckerman is nineteen years old. She and her family arrive at The Greenbrier for vacation, as they do every summer.  This year she is feeling the pressure to court and marry Warren Abercrombie.  She has made it clear to her parents she only has feelings for Warren as a friend.  Dorothy meets Enzo Rossi, an Italian race car driver during this summer.  A romance  between the two begin and they fall deeply in love.  He wants to marry her and make a life together.  Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tuckerman do not approve of Enzo.  She has to decide to follow her heart or honor her parent’s request.

In 1946 Dorothy is a divorced mother.  After her marriage has ended, she finds comfort in surrounding herself with bright colors and the excitement coming from styling a new room.   Dorothy decides to start her own interior design business.  The Second World War has just ended.  She is given the job of transforming the Ashford General Hospital, now known as The Greenbrier into a luxury hotel.  The resort where she stayed with her family years ago is gone, it has been replaced with a larger building that needs a lot of repair work.  Dorothy needs the commission from this job to keep her business afloat and make it a success.  She also wants to keep her loyal employees.

This book is near and dear to my heart, not only because it is about The Greenbrier, and a place I know and love so much.  The love story in this book is special and reminded me of my own love story at a young age. I can’t recommend this book enough to readers.  Absolutely loved this beautiful book by Joy Callaway. GET THE BOOK.

~ Francene Katzen, Richmond, Virginia, advocate for parents who have children with drug addictions

A Juicy Beach Read with a Touch of Intrigue 

Dive into The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  It’s the story of a gorgeous film star who ruthlessly climbs to the top of celebrity fame and fortune, leaving a trail of scandals in her dust. So why would she pick an unknown magazine reporter to write her life story??

No one is more surprised than the reporter, Monique Grant, herself, when she is summoned to the luxurious apartment of the aging and reclusive film star. Regardless of why she was chosen, Monique takes a few tricks out of Evelyn Hugo’s play book and decides to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career, sure to write a blockbuster bestseller.

As Evelyn unspools a tale of raw ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love, Monique begins to feel a real human connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s in tragic and irreversible ways. GET THE BOOK.

~ Joan Pagano, owner of Joan Pagano Fitness, NY