Harper, Karen. American Duchess. Harper. Feb. 2019. 368p. ISBN 9780062884299. $26.99; pap. ISBN 9780062748331. $15.99 ;
ebk. ISBN 9780062748348. F
One of the so-called “Dollar Princesses” who brought much-needed cash into the British aristocracy, Consuelo Vanderbilt became an American duchess a century before Meghan Markle. This fictional account of her life by suspense and historical fiction writer Harper ( The It Girls; Silent Scream) begins with her marriage to Sunny, the ninth Duke of Marlborough, in 1895, when she was 18. Coerced into a loveless union by her ambitious mother, Consuelo tries to do her duty by her family and her husband, while championing the poor and the sick. She gives birth to two sons before divorcing the duke and finding love in her second marriage. Despite her wealthy upbringing in New York and Newport, RI, Consuelo was moved by the working class and especially by mothers and children. She maintained a great friendship with the duke’s cousin, Winston Churchill, and survived World War I in England and World War II in France. During both wars, she used her wealth for charitable causes, including establishing a hospital in France.
VERDICT A sweeping history of the Gilded Age, this novel is for fans of historical fiction, PBS’s Downton Abbey, and the recent royal wedding. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]—Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA

Hooper, Elise. Learning To See. Morrow. Jan. 2019. 384p. ISBN 9780062686534. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062686541. F
Hooper (The Other Alcott) tells a fictionalized account of photographer Dorothea Lange, famous for her depictions of people suffering in the Great Depression and World War II Japanese internment camps. Starting with Lange’s arrival in San Francisco in 1918, the book depicts her tempestuous marriage to artist Maynard Dixon, the birth of their two sons, her growing skill and fame as a photographer, her work with the Depression Era Resettlement Administration, and her eventual marriage to professor Paul Taylor. Lange felt conflicting desires to create art, serve the downtrodden, and be with her children, whom she sent into foster care for large portions of their childhoods. Short chapters set in 1964 show her continuing rocky relationship with son Dan. The book describes the creation of some of her most famous images, including source notes and small thumbnail pictures. The background depicts many other famous people Lange knew and worked with, such as novelist John Steinbeck and photographer Ansel Adams.
VERDICT A fascinating and sometimes surprising introduction to a woman known for her iconic photographs but not her eventful life. Plenty for book groups to discuss about work-life balance.—Jan Marry, Lanexa, VA

Letts, Elizabeth. Finding Dorothy. Ballantine. Feb. 2019. 368p. ISBN 9780525622109. $28; ebk. ISBN 9780525622123. F
In 1939, Maud Baum is fighting to protect the legacy and vision of her late husband L. Frank Baum during the filming of The Wizard of Oz. After making her way onto the set, she discovers the film’s young star, Judy Garland, may be the one truly in need of protection. Interwoven are flashbacks telling Maud’s story from her childhood as a tomboy to young adulthood with her famous suffragist mother to the often difficult life as the wife of a man more fit for the theater than daily life. This well-researched novelization weaves various moments that shaped Maud and Frank’s life together and led to his writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and her desire to fight for a young actress she just met. Letts, an author of both nonfiction (The Eighty-Dollar Champion) and fiction ( Quality of Care) once again crafts a tale of fortitude and triumph over adversity. Some may find it leans toward sentimentality, but readers looking for an inspiring true story will be delighted.
VERDICT Fans of the Oz novels or film will be enchanted. This is a great fit for readers of Christine Baker Kline and Lisa Wingate, and will surely be a popular choice for book clubs. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]—Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN