The Grand Design- A Novel of Dorothy Draper by Joy Callaway
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Web ID: 16778358Ahead of her time
Loosely autobiographical story of Dororthy Draper and the Greenbriar Resort starting in the early 1900s. She stayed there as a young girl, and later, as a decorator redesigned it and brought it back after it had been used during the war as a hospital and internment for political prisoners. Being a decorator back then was not typical for a woman. Dorothy was a wealthy heiress: a woman having a profession wasn't done. The story is a love story for Dorothy and for the resort as a special place. Royalty, actors, actresses, political greats and the wealthy all enjoyed staying there, with all of their secrets. I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. #TheGrandDesign #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HarperMuse #HistoricalFiction #JoyCallaway
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Strong woman character
Dorothy is a rebel! She has divorced her husband and has started the first ever design firm in America. Dorothy has now been tasked to restore some of the elegance to her old stomping ground, The Greenbrier. And she must do her best work. Her design firm is on the rocks and she needs this job to keep her and her employees afloat. I love a novel based on a true story and Dorothy is an amazing woman. But, I felt like something was missing in the story. It is very well researched, however, it is just a bit slow and maybe a bit redundant in places. But, I am so glad I read it. I love to learn about women who decide not to follow the conventional and Dorothy definitely did life her way. She is smart and hardworking and she changed her stars! Need a good historical fiction novel with a strong woman you probably never heard of…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today! I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Historical Fiction Biography of Dorothy Draper
The Greenbrier Resort is a piece of historical fiction that tells a partially imagined account of the life of famed interior designer, Dorothy Draper. The Greenbrier remodel is considered her crown jewel and in this work of fiction, the author imagines why the Greenbrier was so special to Draper. This story includes well researched historical information as well as an engaging storyline that is created from the author and not based on history. This story is told in dual timelines. It is not a mystery or thriller and the pace is meandering, just like the Southern atmosphere you'll find in this book. We move back and forth in time between teenage Dorothy whose parents are pressuring her into a marriage and grown Dorothy who has bucked everyone's expectations of her and become a successful, if not quirky, business owner. This book was really well done. I could not put it down and read it in one weekend. I enjoyed the imagined story that seemed like it could have been based on real life. I loved getting into the mind and heart of Dorothy Draper and seeing how her life circumstances had influenced her work and mindset. I felt like there was a clear distinction between young Dorothy and elder Dorothy and felt like the author did a great job of expressing this well. Honestly, please don't read this book if you're going through a hard time. The entire tone of the book is pessimistic and melancholy. I thought it was written well and this feel was perfect for the story and the book. But it will just bring you down and make you sad. The book does end on a happy note, but it is so long coming, that it really just depressed me! That being said, I would highly recommend this book. I love learning about the interior life of prominent women. This is not a blatant support for any political or social system, but shares openly what life was like during the timeline of Dorothy Draper's life. It doesn't sugarcoat her faults, but it also highlights her strengths. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A story about an old hotel and resort!
In 1908. Dorothy Tuckerman’s family stay every summer at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. This year her parents are putting pressure on her to court and marry Warren Abercrombie and the only feelings Dorothy has for him are as a friend. Fiorenzo Rossi a handsome Italian racing car driver is staying at the resort with his uncle and suddenly Dorothy’s contemplating taking a different path to the one her parents have planned for her. Will she do what her parents and society expect of her or will Dorothy throw caution to the wind and follow her heart! In 1946. Dorothy Draper is a divorced mother and she’s started her own interior design business. The Second World War has ended, she has been given the job of transforming the Ashford General Hospital or the Greenbrier Resort into a luxury hotel. The old resort where she stayed with her family years ago is gone, in it's place is a larger building and it needs a lot of work. The dual timeline story follows Dorothy from being a young debutante, a woman who has been through a war, the great depression, a divorce, and is now a career woman. After her marriage ended, a way of keeping her mind off her problems was to surround herself with bright colors and she found it exciting styling a new room and now she has to do this for an entire hotel, with a budget and she’s feeling the pressure. Dorothy needs the commission from this job to keep her business afloat and she doesn't want to have to fire her dedicated staff. Dorothy has a vision, using some original fixtures and furniture and her new innovative ideas. I received a copy of The Grand Design by Joy Callaway from HarperCollins Focus in exchange for an honest review. Prior to reading this book I had never heard of Dorothy Draper, she’s an inspirational woman and a pioneer in modern interior design. If you like historical fiction about architecture, old buildings and decorating them, I highly recommend this well written book and five stars from me.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2.5 Stars
I usually love learning about famous people under the guise of history/fiction. I admit that learning about Greenbrier was fascinating -my husband knew more about this resort than I did because of some old-time famous golf tournament! I thought that learning about the famous decorator, Dorothy Draper, would be fascinating too, but it was not. She seems to be or at least was portrayed as a selfish, whiny, argumentative, *itch. I know that women with aspirations back in the early '40 really needed to be assertive, but between the two stories...I found I just did not like Dorothy. I could not connect with her, I could not find any sympathy for her, and the more I learned about her, the less I cared. The dual timeline was frustrating for me. The multiple characters in both timelines were equally frustrating. I'm being frank when I say that this was a disappointing read for me. *ARC supplied by the publisher Harper Muse, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Historical Fiction
I knew nothing about Dorothy Draper, socialite and founder of the first interior design firm, and eagerly read Joy Callaway's historical fiction novel, The Grand Design, which compellingly tells her story. As a young woman in the early 1900s, she adored her family's yearly trips to the magnificent Greenbrier Resort, set in the uncommon beauty of West Virginia. During one visit, she falls in love with an Italian race car driver, who gives her a taste for a freer life and a longing for more than a confined socialite's existence. But her family ends their relationship, and Dorothy fears she'll be trapped into a conventional life. Through dual timelines, we see how the young Dorothy evolves into a courageous woman who later divorces her husband -- scandalous then -- and starts a daring business in interior design. And we follow her progress 38 years later when after WWII, she applies her audacious ideas to renovating Greenbriar once more. Now, her business and reputation hang in the balance. Will she succeed? A must-read for historical fiction fans, interior design lovers, and those who adore gracefully written stories about strong inspiring women.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book
The Greenbrier Resort by Joy Callaway is a great historical fiction that takes us to the grand and steeped in history Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. This is such a wonderful and unique book that encouraged me to devour it within two days. Growing up in WV, I have been surrounded by the images, history, and activity regarding the Greenbrier, but the way the author presented her dual timeline narrative, really drew me in and made this fun and fresh. Weaving between, what feels like two different generations and worlds, she takes us between 1908 and the 1940s in the point of view of the true to life Dorothy Draper. Most assuredly a woman before her time, and we get a firsthand look at her life through this story. There are surprises, twists, cameos if famous names, fashion, art, and everything one could possibly hope for in design and architecture. The author brings to life in exquisite detail the passions, motivations, intense undertaking, and the sheer talent that Ms. Draper possessed and contributed to help make the Greenbrier look as it does today. Being able to see a part of Dorothy and how her path to this point contributes to this outcome is also beyond fabulous. I highly recommend this gem and this will be one of my favorites of 2022…guaranteed. 5/5 stars
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Restoration of the Famous Greenbrier Resort
This was a captivating book that completely swept me in from the beginning. It is a split timeline novel and begins in 1908 and ends in 1961. The author smoothly transitions her readers back and forth through the years. The story was very well researched and I felt like I was there at the Greenbrier Resort mingling with the guests. The book was based on the true story of Dorothy Draper, who was America’s first to establish an interior design firm. It is her story from the time she was a debutante attending the balls at the famous Greenbrier to her career in interior decorating. In 1946 to 1948, Dorothy took on the challenge of returning the Greenbrier Resort to its former glory and beyond with a whole new design. I found this book to be very entertaining, realistic and informative. It was almost impossible to put the book down once I started reading it. I loved the happily ever after ending and it goes on my self of favorite books. 1908 Dorothy Tuckerman came from a wealthy New York family. She was a debutante just coming of age to marry. She was bored with her life and keeping up with the demands society placed on the rich. She didn’t appreciate how her wealthy family and friends looked down on the less fortunate. Dorothy often longed to just run away from it all and be free to do the things she really wanted and find a man she could fall in love with, not caring what family he came from or what social standing he had. Her parents had a young man from the Abercrombie family picked out for Dorothy to one day marry but she considered him a friend and not someone she wanted for a husband. Then Enzo Rossi, Italian race car driver came to visit The Greenbrier Resort. He was handsome and he made her heart pound when he looked at her. Enzo and Dorothy fell in love but Mr and Mrs Tuckerman didn’t approve. Dorothy felt she was a prisoner of her family’s wealth and social standing. Would she give it all up to gain her freedom to love Enzo and marry him? 1946 The years have passed and now Dorothy Draper is divorced and has her own interior design business. She is a mother and grandmother and very independent. She is no longer a member of upper New York society and in fact she is looked down on because she has a career in a successful business and is divorced from her husband. Dorothy has just been hired by the Chairman of the C&O Railroad to restore the Greenbrier Resort to its original glory. It had been turned into a hospital during the war years but now C&O wants Dorothy to restore it back to a resort. Dorothy wants to completely change it to a brighter more colorful place. It will have Dorothy Draper’s creative touch and people would long remember her legacy in years to come. She has been given a budget and a limited amount of time to do the renovations. As Dorothy walks the halls of Greenbrier hotel memories come flooding back and she realizes that after all these years she is still in love with Enzo. This assignment is an overwhelming challenge for her but a great opportunity for her business to grow . Will she be able to design a newer Greenbrier Resort within the budget allowed her and the time frame she’s been given to complete the Grand Design? I recommend this book to readers of Historical Romance and Woman’s Fiction. It is a stand alone read. This book is scheduled to be released on 5/17/22. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com