Astor Place Vintage: A Novel (47 page)

She nodded. “In a minute.”

I returned to the living room. “The nurse will be right here. I’m heading out, but I’ll be in touch. Thanks again for extending the lease, I really appreciate it.”

“You take my advice, young lady. Start thinking more about your future and stop dillydallying in the past.”

“I’m sure you’re right, Mrs. Kelly.” Even so, after a moment of indecision, without saying anything, I set the journal on the coffee table next to the necklace. Mrs. Kelly murmured in protest, but this time she allowed it to remain. And I did notice her lean closer to look at the cover.

I let myself out. While waiting for the elevator, I checked my cell phone. That last text wasn’t from Bettina or Jeff. It came from a number I didn’t recognize.

Did you find that million dollars in the hatbox?

My heart did a flip-flop as I typed out my answer.

Something even better.

As I saved Rob’s number to my contacts, I reminded myself to stop at the pharmacy on the way to the store, though I had a suspicion that my sleep problems might be over. Then I remembered my plans to see Karin and Patricia later that night. Maybe I’d tell them about Rob and the journal over sushi. They’d have fun giving me a hard time about falling for a guy who lived on the other side of the country.

The elevator came and I stepped on. As it descended, I thought how wonderful it would be if I reached the lobby to find it had turned into the ground floor of Wanamaker’s. Aisles of mahogany counters, a grand double staircase leading to the mezzanine, eight flights of balconies leading to the glass-domed ceiling . . . Women in long skirts and picture hats would be browsing as organ music played in the background. I waited for the elevator to come to a stop. When the door slid open, I stepped out.

I’D LIKE TO
acknowledge three “California Girls” for helping this New York novel come to life. First off, thanks to my motivating mom Minnette Lehmann, originally from Sacramento, for repeatedly helping me feel the manuscript was wonderful when I wasn’t able to love it enough. Secondly, thanks to my steadfast agent Emma Sweeney, originally from San Diego, for helping me when my manuscript wasn’t wonderful and I was loving it too much. Thirdly, thanks to my brilliant editor Heather Lazare, originally from Carmel, whose love for the manuscript helped me get it right where it needed to go. This writer, originally from San Francisco, doesn’t know where this novel would be without their insight, enthusiasm, and thoughtful guidance.

And then there are all the other people who gave me insight, enthusiasm, and thoughtful guidance, each in his or her own way: Elizabeth Kandall, Karin Sibrava, Amanda Selwyn, Patricia Kelley, Bill and Elaine Koster, Ellen Twaddell, Julie Carpenter, Leah Pike, Richard Friedman, Marsha Levy Warren, Andres San Martin, Allison Dickens, Jennifer Quinlan, and Lucia della Paolera.

Finally, there is my brood. Thank you to David and Steve Kronovet for being there to hang out with when I wasn’t writing, and for not being there when I was. And thanks to Madeleine Kronovet for being the quintessential New Yorker.

Author’s collection: postcards on
pp. 135
,
136
,
top
.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division—Detroit Publishing Company Collection:
p. vi
(reproduction number: LC-D4-13619);
p. 136
,
bottom
(reproduction number: LC-D4-17555);
p. 197
(reproduction number: LC-D4-10907 R);
p. 198
(reproduction number: LC-D4-9145);
p. 199
(reproduction number: LC-D419-51);
p. 278
, Harry Thaw, circa 1909 (reproduction number LC-DIG-ggbain-04038); Evelyn Nesbit, circa 1900 (Gertrude Kasebier, photographer, reproduction number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-12056);
p. 279
(reproduction number: LC-D4-16462);
p. 308
East Side tenements, between 1900 and 1910 (reproduction number: LC-DIG-det-4a18586). Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division—Bain Collection:
p. 306
Metropolitan Tower, 1908 (reproduction number: LC-DIG-ggbain-01486);
p. 396
Two women crossing a street, 1911 (reproduction number: LC-USZ62-123183).

Museum of the City of New York: toiletries counter, 1910, Byron Company:
p. 307
.

The New York Public Library; Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy; Photographic Views of New York City; Ewing Galloway, photographer:
p. 134
.

1. When Amanda first visits Jane Kelly’s apartment to assess her clothes, she ponders,
“funny how styles from your own parents’ day tend to call out with that seductive aura of nostalgia”
. What era’s styles appeal to you?

2. While Amanda is being hypnotized, her doctor asks her to think of a place that makes her feel
“comfortable and content”
, and she has some difficulty deciding on one. Why do you think it was such a challenge for her? What place would you choose?

3. Olive is both unable and unwilling to rely on financial aid from men—from her father or a potential husband—yet Amanda regularly accepts checks from her married lover, Jeff. Which of the two women seems more modern?

4. Amanda’s fascination with history was originally inspired by her collection of Time-Life books called
This Fabulous Century
. She thinks,
“I used to pore over every word and stare at the glossy photographs with laser-like eyes trying to take in every detail and see beyond the edges to find aswers to questions I couldn’t quite put into words”
. Are there books in your life that have had a similar effect on you?

5. Do you think Olive’s father’s car accident was a true accident, or was it suicide? If Olive had not been forced to find work to support herself after his death, in what ways might her life have turned out differently?

6. A woman of Olive’s socioeconomic background is expected to become a wife and mother; and the idea of working is considered base, and therefore shocking, to friends and family. As a store clerk she is offered low wages and few opportunities for advancement. Despite this, Olive pursues a career. How does this illustrate her character? How do Olive’s ways of dealing with change compare to Amanda’s? How are their challenges different?

7. Amanda continues to see Jeff even though she knows she shouldn’t. Why do you think it’s so hard for her to end the affair? Do you see this as a weakness in her character? Does the fact that she dated Jeff before he got married affect your opinion of their affair?

8. When Amanda finds out she is not pregnant, why do you thinks she seems disappointed? How does her pregnancy scare contrast with Olive’s?

9. Psychic Lola Cotton seems to contact Olive’s dead mother, telling Olive:
“ ‘She wants you to know . . . you must not feel guilty. She forgives you’ ”
. Olive views this with skepticism. Is she too focused on looking forward to deal with feelings about her mother’s death?

10. Amanda wonders whether her whole life is “ruled by nostalgia.” She thinks,
“The past doesn’t just go away; it lingers on. You can actually touch and see the remains, and to the extent that these souvenirs survive, the past is the present. You can’t say that for the future. . . . You can never hold the future in your hands”
. Do you agree? Does Amanda spend too much of her life looking back? Why is it so hard for her to leave Jeff? What finally convinces her to do it?

11. As a single woman in the early 1900s, Olive cannot stay alone at a hotel; there are women-only areas in restaurants and bars; the idea of her working is met with significant disapproval; and the Victorian attitudes about women’s sexuality leave her ignorant and unprepared. At the end of the book she thinks,
“Perhaps the day will come when women exist in the world as equals to men”
. Do you think that day has come? If not, do you think it ever will?

12. The theme of change as constant and unstoppable is present throughout the novel. Is the past always worth leaving behind? Is newer always better? Is it possible to strike a balance between preserving what is worthy about the past while allowing for modern developments?

13. The author leaves the story open at the end, and we never know whether Jane Kelly reads the journal, whether Amanda starts a relationship with Rob, even whether Olive and Angelina ever open a hat shop. Why do you think the author chose to end her book this way? What do you think happens to the characters?

You are visible online on your personal website and book websites and on Facebook and Twitter. Do you feel these outlets bring you closer to your readers?

Absolutely. I especially like how social media makes it possible for me to enhance the novel with additional material for readers who want to know more. When I was researching
Astor Place Vintage
, I got completely absorbed in early twentieth century New York City, but couldn’t begin to use all I learned. There are so many great online resources, and it’s great that I can use them to share historical details and photographs on my websites.

Do you ever meet your fans in person? If so, what is the most valuable or helpful aspect of being face-to-face?

I’ve done lots of readings and enjoy speaking to book clubs. Part of the thrill of getting published is knowing that people are going to engage in a world that I’ve been immersed in for years and felt passionate about creating. But reading is a solitary, anonymous act. As the author, I don’t necessarily experience the fact that this story that is so near and dear to my heart has made an impression. Meeting people face-to-face can be a wonderful way to have a dialogue with readers.

Astor Place Vintage
is your fifth novel. Does it get easier the more you write? Were there any new challenges this time?

Every time I start a new novel, I feel like I have to learn how to write one all over again. Part of this is the mental intimidation. It’s daunting to create a whole, big “something” from “nothing.” The difficulty also comes from the fact that every novel is different and inevitably poses problems that are intrinsic to the world that’s being created. I like to compare the process to doing a jigsaw puzzle while the final picture keeps changing as you’re trying to find the pieces that fit together.

Astor Place Vintage
posed particular challenges because of my decision to set it in two time periods with two main characters whose narratives resonate and come together in a meaningful way. After a few drafts, I realized that it’s one thing setting out to do this and quite another to pulling it off. I began with an outline that became obsolete. It took a lot of trial and error to find my way to a story that fulfilled my intention. Almost every revision seemed to set off a domino effect of changes. Keeping track of the details could be mind-boggling. I like to tell people this novel counts as three books: Olive’s story, Amanda’s story, and the story of both of them melded together.

Each of your previous novels is set in the present, yet
Astor Place Vintage
explores the world of 1907 New York. What inspired you to include this historical aspect, and why did you select that time in particular?

The answer to this question seems to have taken on its own historical narrative, but here goes.

Hoping to find inspiration for a novel idea, I was browsing the shelves of my neighborhood library. A book by Bella Spewack called
Streets: A Memoir of the Lower East Side
, caught my eye. Bella was the name of my grandmother, who could’ve been Spewack’s neighbor if she hadn’t gone straight from Ellis Island to join her father in Sacramento. And I lived on the Lower East Side when I was an NYU student. At that time, my one-room walk-up apartment was considered a coveted piece of Manhattan real estate in the “cool and trendy” East Village. But still, it was pretty decrepit, with a low ceiling, tilting floor, no kitchen, no closet, no light, a tiny bathroom, and proverbial cockroaches that roamed, especially at night. I checked out the book.