Tiffany & Co. has been an obsession of mine since I first laid eyes on their iconic charm bracelet when I was in high school. I always imagined what it would feel like to hold that Tiffany blue box in my hands and place that gorgeous bracelet on my wrist. I could spend hours walking through the store or perusing their expansive catalog. Tiffany & Co. is, and always has been, perfection to me.

Sadly, I do not know much about the company itself or the founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, which is why Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose intrigued me.

Though it is a fiction, there are several historical accuracies, which I found utterly fascinating. Tiffany & Co. was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany. His son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, was an artist that created the gorgeous stained glass that Tiffany & Co. was so well known for in their early days. Louis also created a colony for budding artists in the early 1920's called Laurelton Hall in Long Island, New York. This breathtaking mansion and landscape was to serve as a muse for young artists and to help them focus and allow their most creative side to emerge.

Jenny Bell is a 24-year-old struggling artist in New York. In the summer of 1924, Jenny is living with fellow artist, Minx Deering in New York, working several jobs and barely making ends meet. Jenny is incredibly talented but is trapped in the past, the horrible events that transpired between her mother and step-father constantly on her mind; a past that she keeps all to herself for fear of people knowing that she is flawed. This entrapment shows in her work, with the artist painting the same mausoleum over and over in dark tones. Minx sees the talent in her roommate and secretly enters one of her paintings to be reviewed by Tiffany, in hopes to be chosen for the next Laurelton Hall season.

Both Jenny and Minx are accepted and end up being the only two girls at Laurelton Hall that summer. Louis Comfort Tiffany quickly befriends Jenny and takes a personal interest in helping the young artist unleash whatever it is that is blocking her. Jenny vows to focus only on her art but Tiffany's grandson Oliver soon becomes a distraction. Being a virgin, Oliver unleashes a passion within Jenny that she thought would never exist. She gives over to him body, mind, and soul. This newfound desire, mixed with a strained relationship between her and Mix, the constant struggle with her past, and a robbery of the most sought-after jewels in the world, turns Jenny's world upside down and makes for one unforgettable summer.

All in all I liked Tiffany Blues. The sexual parts were done in good taste but Jenny and Oliver's relationship, and Jenny herself, got annoying after awhile. The abuses, though incredibly hard to read, were well thought out and hard to forget due to the incredible writing by M.J. Rose. The author did an wonderful job of being descriptive of the landscape of Laurelton Hall. The imagery converted me back to the roarings '20's and all the glitz and jazz of that era, and just how amazing that estate must've been like.

The fictional part of the narrative was okay but I enjoyed the historical aspects the most and wish they were more in depth. It has definitely piqued my curiosity about Louis Comfort Tiffany and what Laurelton Hall really was like back then. I really enjoyed Minx's character and storyline, and though much of the drama was predictable, I thought the story as a whole was decent enough, and the ending sweet. This is my first book by M.J. Rose but it will not be my last! ( )

1924, New York. Jenny Ball is one of a dozen burgeoning artist invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany's distinguished artist colony. She has always dreamed about becoming a painter and now together with a close friend the dream is starting to become real. Jenny wants to travel to Paris and study art there, and this stay at the art colony is a start. Little does she know that her past will rear its ugly head. That the past she has tried to leave behind will turn staying at Laurelton Hall to not a dream come true, rather a nightmare.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

This Netgalley request is a historical fiction hodgepodge of romance, mystery and character study. The book is inspired by Laurleton Hall, the real-life home of artist Louis Comfort Tiffany who constructed it in the early 1900s. “Tiffany Blues” follows Jenny Bell, a simpering wallflower who changed her identity after taking the fall for a murder she didn’t commit. After serving time in a women’s prison, Jenny remakes herself into an artist, hoping for a clean slate.

“Tiffany Bell” has fantastic descriptions of art and color. It feels lush and decadent just like you’d imagine the 1920s to be. But, nothing actually happens. Jenny is just a passenger in her own life, crippled by sorrow and badgered by the soap opera-y bombshells that are constantly being dropped on her. I was quickly fatigued with feeling sorry for her. The cast of characters around her only exist to drive the plot forward in an insistent way. They’re constantly pleading and prodding Jenny to pursue her artistic endeavors, break out of her shell, or try something new.

I really wanted to like this more than I did (and that cover tho!) but aside from the lush setting, I found this to be painfully contrived with an obvious ending I saw coming a mile away. ( )

A very vivid look at the world of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his Laurelton Hall told through the story of two young women from very different worlds that convene there for his artist colony.
Through the beautiful writing of MJ Rose you will feel as if you are part of that time, the glamour and the glitz of the 20s.
This is a beautiful story of secrets, mystery, ruin, love and loss. Highly recommend for all historical fiction readers. 5 stars. ( )

The main part of this historical fiction novel takes place in Oyster Bay, New York in 1924 where Jenny Bell and her BFF Millicent (“Minx”) have gone for the summer. They are both art students, and were selected to attend the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation at Laurelton Hall for eight weeks “to imagine and create while surrounded and inspired by nature and the beauty that Tiffany had cultivated and brought into the world.” (While most of the protagonists are fictional, the house and art foundation were not made up.)

Much of the narration consists of Jenny’s marveling over the house and grounds, which indeed were thought to be glorious before their destruction by fire in 1957.

When Jenny isn’t gushing, she is quivering, in constant fear that someone might discover her secret past. The readers only gradually learn about it, but it seems someone at Laurelton is aware of it already. The obvious suspect is another student, Edward Wren, who is also the love interest of Minx, and who is particularly hostile towards Jenny.

Jenny soon gets another distraction besides Edward’s disturbing behavior and the beautiful surroundings in the form of Tiffany’s [fictional] grandson Oliver. He and Jenny experience an immediate mutual attraction, although he too hints of having a mysterious past.

Soon enough, as one would expect by virtue of the author’s lack of subtlety, everyone’s secrets come out, and with the exposure of Jenny’s past, another improbable Bad Thing happens.

An Epilogue takes us up to the time of the fire, and fills us in on what happened between 1924 and 1957.

Discussion: I really appreciated that M.J. Rose put her Author’s Note at the beginning of the book instead of at the end. That way, we could follow along with a greater appreciation of what was real and what was created by the author. Like the author, I have long admired the work of Louis Tiffany. But while color and light are themes of the story, at times I felt as if the author belabored the subjects.

In addition, I thought the ominousness of the story was a bit heavy-handed.

Evaluation: A mystery is an entertaining way to acquaint readers with the magnificence of Laurelton Hall and the legacy of Lewis Comfort Tiffany. The author also provides a capsule view of life in the 1920’s that will also appeal to fans of historical fiction. ( )