Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

This is the Teachers and Friends Book Club selection for May. Due to ALL THE THINGS happening in May, we decided to instead meet in early June.  This story has a few bits in Chicago, but is mostly set in New York City, Queens specifically. Our second book for the June meeting will be set in Rome.  And by Rome I mean Kentucky. But, my brain heard Chicago, NYC, and Rome? Of course we need pizza! Oops. That meeting will be at our good friends' Lorenzo's. 

I was a little intimidated by the size of this novel.  It's big and thick.  But I do like historical fiction and/or narrative non-fiction.  If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you likely know my obsession with NYC in the late Gilded Age through the Progressive Era.  And of course with Coney Island.

I found many similarities in the historical aspects and themes in Clara and Mr. Tiffany that span literature set in this time period. Workers' Rights, especially those of women and immigrants, were headline dominating.  The poor but working class had enough of the opulence of their employers, and wanted fair compensation and safety protocols.  I was strongly reminded of Hoffman's The Museum of Extraordinary Things, which takes place around the time of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911.  Although set a bit earlier, Clara includes a host of strong female and immigrant characters, all with their own stories to tell, and they deserve we read them and know their names.  My favorite being boarding house mistress Merry. I will shillelagh you into next week! 

I do think one needs to have some background knowledge of the time period to fully understand this.  And probably have some idea what Tiffany lamps and windows looked like (not the modern version, the originals). Thankfully we love in a glorious time with The Google.  There are also several interviews with the author available in print and audio that help explain her trajectory in writing this. 

I'll be adding this to our collection, and it will be part of the first display come next school year.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. and do not reflect those of WHPS or WHHS.