by Nancy Horan
First published 2014
Fanny van de Grift Osbourne abandons her unfaithful husband in San Francisco at thirty-five. She sails to Belgium with her three children and nanny to study art. After tragedy strikes, she retreats to a French artists' colony to heal. There she encounters Robert Louis Stevenson, a would-be writer ten years younger who falls for this independent American woman immediately. Fanny resists the young lawyer who dreams of literary fame. She sees him as impractical, even as he charms her with his wit and ambition. Eventually she surrenders to their connection. Their love affair burns fierce and complicated across continents. They chase cures for his failing health from Europe to the Pacific. Stevenson writes the books that will make him famous while Fanny supports and challenges him. Their journey ends in Samoa, where the author of Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde finds his final rest. This is the story of two strong wills bound by passion and devotion.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biographical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Belgium, France, Pacific, Samoa, San Francisco
Period: 19th-Century
474 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books