February 1, 2011
Once a perfect daughter, who inspired her toy manufacturer father to create a paper doll in her likeness, Julia loses her fianc' in WWI. With no plans for the future, she gads about with a fast crowd, much to her fathers dismay. An older business acquaintance of her fathers, Latham Miller, saves her from a cruel trick, but there is something about Latham that disturbs Julia. He asks her to marry him, and she is reluctant to say yes. Instead, she is intrigued by her fathers new manager, Martin Lee-Trafford, a doctor during the war who had a breakdown and returned home. But when her father becomes ill and asks Julia to marry Latham, she dutifully obeys. Latham turns into a different man after marriage, determined to do whatever he wants with whomever he wants, so Julia starts an affair with Martin. Woods tells a tale of the tumultuous, roaring twenties filled with glamour and sex, a wild ride that will leave readers breathless and ultimately triumphant.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)