GEORGIA'S FOLLY
by
Deborah Chase
Split-Time Historical Fiction
Publisher: Historium Press
Publication Date: September 11, 2024
Page count: 319 pages
Publisher: Historium Press
Publication Date: September 11, 2024
Page count: 319 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
For fans of "Antiques Roadshow" and "American Pickers" - this is the one for you!
Beginning at a cluttered flea market and ending at a glittering art auction, Georgia’s Folly tells the compelling story that blends past and present and the search for a valuable and illusive antique. Chloe Bishop grew up in foster care. She loves shopping at flea markets, picking up family heirlooms like old pottery or vintage furniture to fill in for the family and home she never had. As Chloe walks through the Brooklyn Flea Market, she stumbles upon the diary of Miss Georgia Potter, a young woman who had lived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War. The yellowed pages reveal the impact of the war on daily life and spotlights the role of women including Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton and Louisa May Alcott. Like Chloe, Georgia Potter was a passionate collector and her diary lists her collection of valuable antiques—including the Holy Grail of 18th century furniture—a Chippendale settee. Well versed in antiques, Chloe is aware that There are only five known examples and a sixth settee would be worth more than $4 million.
Chloe immediately contacts Ben Thompson, the man who sold her the diary. Ben is a picker who drives his RV across America, searching for collectibles to sell to dealers. He is estranged from his wealthy, prominent family who cringe at his chosen career. Ben agrees to take her along to search for the valuable and iconic settee. As Ben and Chloe head to Gettysburg, they are unaware that Gregor Petrov, a shady antiques dealer and Harrison Kent, a respected but unscrupulous art expert are trailing them.
The search for the settee takes Chloe and Ben on fast paced journey from the Gettysburg battlefields to the 18th century street of artisans in Philadelphia to a historic mansion on the banks of the Hudson River. Traveling together in the small RV, Ben and Chloe draw closer. In the confines of the RV, embroiled in an unimaginable quest, Chloe confides that she is also in search for the father she never knew while Ben struggles to explain his complicated family to a woman who never had one.
In a thrilling ending, the rare Chippendale settee is not Chloe’s only valuable discovery.
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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:
Chloe Bishop felt her pulse quicken as she walked to the jumbled tables at the Brooklyn Flea Market. Under the soaring arches of the massive bridge, the piles of pottery, jewelry, and stacks of vintage clothing sparkled with the promise of discovery. Every time she walked into a thrift shop or flea market, she remembered stories of the discovery of a long-lost Picasso or a rhinestone ring that turned out to be a flawless diamond. But she really wasn’t treasure hunting—she just loved finding what she called “pieces of history.”
She never knew what she was going to find, but she knew it when she saw it. And there it was as if it had been patiently waiting for her. Next to a vintage tin sign for motor oil and under a cracked ironstone pitcher, she could see the trim edges of a ladies' lap desk. Chloe smiled to herself. "I have always wanted one, and here it is under the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge." She walked over to the table, gently removed the pitcher, and placed it on the table.
The lap desk was clearly not a family heirloom. It was a very basic lap desk with a faded, stained finish. She opened the lap desk and smiled to see the well-worn, blue-felt padding. The top and bottom offlaps were intact - a great sign for a well-used lap desk more than 150 years old. Two small partitions on the bottom were stained from the ink bottles they once held. The bottom section was empty except for two vintage ladies' hairpins, but the top lid was jammed. A lady often kept personal letters there and Chloe was instantly curious. What secret romances could the lap desk hold?
She never knew what she was going to find, but she knew it when she saw it. And there it was as if it had been patiently waiting for her. Next to a vintage tin sign for motor oil and under a cracked ironstone pitcher, she could see the trim edges of a ladies' lap desk. Chloe smiled to herself. "I have always wanted one, and here it is under the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge." She walked over to the table, gently removed the pitcher, and placed it on the table.
The lap desk was clearly not a family heirloom. It was a very basic lap desk with a faded, stained finish. She opened the lap desk and smiled to see the well-worn, blue-felt padding. The top and bottom offlaps were intact - a great sign for a well-used lap desk more than 150 years old. Two small partitions on the bottom were stained from the ink bottles they once held. The bottom section was empty except for two vintage ladies' hairpins, but the top lid was jammed. A lady often kept personal letters there and Chloe was instantly curious. What secret romances could the lap desk hold?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I grew up in a family filled with art and antiques. On the high end, my uncle, William Lincer, lead violist at the New York Philharmonic, was an art lover whose collection was sold at Sotheby’s. On the low end, my father, writer Allen Chase took me to flea markets and estate sales. He sparked a lifelong fascination with tales of lost treasures that ranged from plundered Egyptian tombs to trainloads of art stolen by the Nazis. It was this love of history and antiques that inspired my first novel, Georgia’s Folly.
I was a founding editor of the Berkeley Wellness Newsletter and the author of 12 books including The Medically Based No-Nonsense Beauty Book (Alfred Knopf), Extend Your Life Diet (Pocket Books), Fruit Acids for Fabulous Skin (St Martin’s Press), Every Bride is Beautiful ( Morrow), and with my husband, Dr Neil Schachter, co-author of Life and Breath (Doubleday) and The Good Doctor’s Guide to Colds and Flu (Harper). The books have been a selection of the Book of the Month Club and my articles have appeared in Ladies Home Journal, Self, Glamour, Redbook, Family Circle, Parents and Good Housekeeping.
I am a graduate of Bronx High School of Science and a winner of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. A graduate of New York University, I earned a degree with a dual major in journalism and history.
A native New Yorker, I like to spend my weekends at an upstate home where a big kitchen and an endless supply of estate sales indulge my dual passions for cooking and collecting.
GIVEAWAY!
GIVEAWAY!
GIVEAWAY!
The author will be awarding a $50 Visa card to a randomly drawn winner.
Thank you for featuring GEORGIA'S FOLLY today.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI would enjoy reading this one. Sounds good.
ReplyDeleteSounds up my alley! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to read this book!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt! This book sounds like such a fun and entertaining historical read! Already added it to my Goodreads TBR List!
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