The Fifth Avenue Artists Society (36 page)

T
HESE ARE SOME
of my most treasured Lynch family mementos—relics that gave life to stories that at times seemed too romantic to be real. When I look at this collection, only fragments of full lives, it is as if they are reaching through time to remind me—
We promise. We were here.

Virginia's passport applications

Several photos of Virginia, Alevia, Alice, and Anne

Virginia Lynch

Alevia VanPelt Lynch (mother)

Alice Lynch Gorton (Mae)

Anne Broome Lynch (Bess)

Portrait of Alevia Rulgate Lynch

Alevia, the pianist

Bernhardt Wall's sketch of the Lynch home

Photo of the Lynch home

Alevia (mother) and William in front of their home, 1895

Washington Irving Footprints

Written by Virginia Lynch; etched by Bernhardt Wall

Other material that contributed to
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society

•
      
Virginia's diaries—three years

•
      
Virginia's obituary

•
      
Virginia's article in
The Bronx Review
titled “An Old Bronx Home”

•
      
Virginia's handkerchiefs

•
      
Several mentions of Alevia playing at parties in the
New York Times

•
      
Three of Virginia's paintings

•
      
Old maps of Mott Haven

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“With
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society
, debut author Joy Callaway paints a marvelously detailed portrait of Gilded Age New York, and in Ginny Loftin, inspired in part by the author's own ancestor, she has created an affecting and appealing heroine. This is a delightful and memorable book.”

—J
ENNIFER
R
OBSON
, international bestselling author of
Moonlight Over Paris

“With the warm glow and heavy drapery of Gilded Age salons as its inviting backdrop, Joy Callaway's engaging period novel explores the timeless struggles women face in the creative and working world, and the price some are willing to pay to protect all they hold dear.”

—E
RIKA
R
OBUCK
, national bestselling author of
Hemingway's Girl

“
The Fifth Avenue Artists Society
is an engrossing snapshot of 1890s New York City, where women were expected to cast aside their artistic aspirations in favor of marriage, motherhood, and social obligation. Filled with well-drawn characters and lush historical texture, this tale sweeps you into the midst of writers, artists, and musicians, some of whom wrestle darker muses than others. The era may be long gone, but the passions remain timeless.”

—J
ILL
M
ORROW
, author of
Newport

“[A] powerful debut. . . . Callaway paints an all-too-real portrait of the power of love to both create and destroy. . . . Readers will never see the twists around every corner. Beautifully written and solidly executed, Callaway's novel will captivate historical and romance fans alike.”

—
Library Journal