Told in two parts, one set in the 30's and one in the 60's, our interesting protagonists is Odelle Bastien, a Caribbean immigrant who is trying to find her way in London in the 60's. She is smart, a writer but is happy to get a job at a prestigious art gallery as a typist. Her boss, the enigmatic Marjorie Quick takes an interest in her and encourages her. The secondary story is set in the 30's where Olive Schloss, the daugher of a famous art dealer, is making her way in Spain with her parents and new friends (brother and sister) Isaac and Teresa. But are the siblings really friends? Isaac is a revolutionary and also a painter. Teresa schemes to get Olive's work noticed by her father as Olive falls in love with Isaac. But what is the connection to the story of Odelle and her boss in the 60's? One of Isaac's paintings comes up for sale and Quick seems to know more about it that she is telling. My awkward summary here does not do the book justice. Loved the interwoven stories (even before I saw how they were related), the writing and the tone of this book. Most of the characters and VERY interesting. If great characters are your thing, give this a try.
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