[ About The Hope Keeper ]
1919, Washington D.C. Elisabeth Beaumont comes from a renowned jeweler family, but after the untimely death of her twin brother, she’s left on her own to run the failing family business. Desperate for work, she approaches the affluent crowd her brother Julien once courted to expand Beaumont Jewelers. Their ringleader is wealthy socialite Evalyn McLean, owner of the world’s most infamous gemstone, rumored to curse all who travel within its orbit.
The Hope Diamond.
As Elisabeth is swept into Evalyn’s toxic world of dark opulence, the lines defining who she is and where she belongs begin to blur, leading Elisabeth to question all she once believed. She’s no longer certain she wants to take over the family business and be beholden to the wealthy elite of D.C. But she can’t fathom leaving her father in the lurch. There’s also Evalyn to consider, and the Hope Diamond, which beckons Elisabeth to admire it, touch it, care for it, despite every warning she’s been told.
When tragedy strikes one night, not only is Elisabeth’s fragile friendship with Evalyn put to the test, but her carefully constructed glamorous new life comes crashing down. Now Elisabeth must face the truth about her brother’s death and decide what matters most.
[ My Review ]
The Hope Keeper by Heather Webb published May 19th with Sourcebooks Landmark and is described as ‘the new historical novel from the bestselling author of Meet Me in Monaco and The Next Ship Home!’
Inspired by the true story of the Hope Diamond Heather Webb created a fictional story introducing us to Elisabeth Beaumont, a jeweller who finds herself caught up in the sparkling world of the wealthy in Washington DC. Grieving after the tragic death of her brother, Julien, Elisabeth is bereft. Neither her father or herself can cope with his loss and are drifting through the days without direction. When the bank comes knocking at their door, Elisabeth realises that in order to keep their family jewellery business afloat she has to step up.
Their client base has been left to disintegrate and with no money coming into the coffers, the Beaumont business is in serious financial peril. Her father learnt his trade in France alongside some of the greats. Coming to America had given him some incredible opportunities with their pieces worn by the DC glitterati. He had passed his skills to his children with Julien also central to the networking element of their business.
One of the clients that Julien had successfully worked with was Evalyn McLean, owner of the legendary Hope Diamond. In 1912 Evalyn had purchased the diamond from Pierre Cartier, dismissive of the curse it supposedly carried. Any incidents in Evalyn’s life were treated as accidents but Elisabeth begins to wonder if Julien’s death was just that, as accident, or were there darker forces as play.
Elisabeth wheedles herself back into the McLean household searching for answers but along the way gets an eye-opening view of how these society ladies live. Initially feeling out of her depth, she starts to gain some confidence but also her awareness is piqued by the whole experience. Does the Hope Diamond really bring bad luck to all who own it? Was her brother’s death an accident or something more sinister? Elisabeth sets out on an investigative journey but soon finds herself caught up in a world of mirrors. She begins to examine her own life and the path she is steering toward, making some interesting discoveries about herself along the way.
I knew very little about the Hope Diamond before reading The Hope Keeper. The sentient style chapters from the diamond’s perspective led me to believe, earlier on, that there might be a different angle to the story but, on completion, I felt the jewel itself was almost secondary to the tale. The Hope Keeper is a story of bereavement, opulence and self-determination. It is a story of a young woman finding herself after a terrible tragedy. Highlighting the apparent flighty nature of the women of that time, Elisabeth Beaumont is depicted as quite the opposite. Her view into their world becomes quickly tainted by the façade of their lives. She is a feminist at heart, determined to make her own way in life.
The Hope Keeper paints a less than appealing picture of the 1920s in DC. The frivolity of the women, their drinking, their toxic behaviour, their marriages are all very visual throughout. None of these women are particularly appealing which makes Elisabeth’s character somewhat more refreshing.
Overall I would say that The Hope Keeper is an easy summer read, offering an interesting insight into the Hope Diamond itself, which will appeal to many readers of historical fiction.
[ Thank you to Source Books via NetGalley for a copy of The Hope Keeper in exchange for my honest review ]
[ Bio ]
Heather Webb is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of seven historical novels. In 2015, Rodin’s Lover was a Goodread’s Top Pick, and in 2018, Last Christmas in Paris won the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award. Her latest, Meet Me in Monaco, cowritten with Hazel Gaynor, was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Goldsboro RNA award in the UK, as well as the 2019 Digital Book World’s Fiction prize. To date, Heather’s books have been translated to over a dozen languages. She lives in New England with her family and one feisty rabbit.
