Rare Objects audiobook

A really enjoyable historical fiction novel set in the bustling diverse community of Boston in the 1930's. What I liked primarily about this novel is the author chose to feature her protagonist as someone who is, in a sense, completely ahead of her time. Straggling the line between social and cultural norms whilst trying to maintain some independence, I enjoyed May's reluctance to conform to what is expected of her. She is a flawed character trying to starve off the skeletons in her closet, but this is perhaps what makes the book so enjoyable. There are several supporting characters to keep track of, but the flow and pace of the writing is acceptable. The authors descriptions of the city and its minor communities of Italian and Irish families are especially good. There were one or two threads within the book I felt could have been better concluded but overall I was very satisfied by this book. Like The Perfume Collector, this is an unusual take on historical fiction, but a riveting one all the same. I will continue to read this authors work.

Rare Objects is a historical fiction novel set in post depression Boston. The reader is introduced to two main characters: Maeve (May), a young Irish woman living at home who is frustrated and desperate with her station in life and Diana Van dear Laar, a deeply flawed, smart, rich young lady. Their lives become intertwined, resulting in a beautifully written, insightful, thought provoking novel. Some favourite quotes to ponder:"Sometimes, my dear, being broken is the most interesting thing that can happen."" You must navigate by means of your own natural compass.""The world was full of collectors, scouring the earth for pieces of themselves"." Kintsugi: It's the belief that the breaks, cracks and repairs become a valuable and esteemed part of the history of an object, rather than something to be hidden. The piece is more beautiful for having been broken."The time taken to read this book is no reflection on my interest level. I had it on Overdrive, company came, book expired with 100 pages to read and I needed to reserve the book again.This book is a rare find!

This was my Christmas-doesn't-exist escape book. Having worked in fashion / retail for so many years in my earlier days, Christmas and I just don't get along. However, Kathleen Tessaro's mesmerizing RARE OBJECTS was just the first-class ticket I needed to all the destinations I love: the early 1930s, antiques, and the tangled quest for self-fulfillment.Maeve Fanning is a hot mess: a fiery red-haired Irish girl of obscure paternal origin, with an uptight, demanding mother in Boston, she flees to the Big Apple to roil in speak-easy bars, dances for a dime, bootleg hooch, and general debauchery. When a botched suicide attempt lands her in a mental ward, she meets an enigmatic socialite who's even more of a mess than she is. Upon her release, Maeve returns to the dubious comforts of Boston, to confront her disheveled past and chastising mother; but she yearns for more out of life and reinvents herself again after she's hired to work in an antiques shop specializing in the titular rare objects. The delivery of two ancient Greek pieces to the mansion of a wealthy, upper-crust family brings her face-to-face with her former mental ward inmate-acquaintance, the mercurial Diana, Diana's handsome rogue of a brother, and a seductive world of champagne, private clubs, diamond brooches, betrayal, and deceit. Caught up in the labyrinth of her own lies and of Diana's fatalistic plunge into escapism, Maeve will have to decide who she is and who she wants to be - and whether or not she values herself as a rare object or merely as an object to be used and discarded. Tessaro's novel exudes humanity, wit, and unexpected poignancy, with riveting secondary characters such as Maeve's bachelor employers, Diana's posse of well-heeled, lethally apathetic society friends, and of a Depression-era world inching toward the calamity of WWII after having barely survived the horrors of WWI. There are moments in the novel that are truly masterful, such as Maeve's meetings with her North End Italian neighbors, brimming with zest, struggle, and conformity; the haunting tale that her boss tells her of his Jewish upbringing, his escape to Vienna and his lifelong passion for what antiques can tell us, coupled with the hunt and discovery of the beautiful objects of art themselves, which have survived centuries after their creators crumbled into dust, like ancient sphinxes oblivious to the foibles of mortality. And her heroine, Maeve, is captivating and deeply flawed, a young woman who doesn't yet know who she is, determined to carve a place for herself in a world she barely understands. Her journey is one of discovery despite herself, and it all makes for an unputdownable read.This novel was like its title: a rare object, hiding secrets within its covers. I loved it.

I absolutely adored this book. It's set in the 1930s (a great time for historical fiction, I think) and it's insanely well-written. I had such a sense of unease while reading it. I didn't know what would go wrong, but I was sure that something horrible would happen to Mae or to Diana or to both. I loved the two of them so much that I was so afraid that things would go wrong for them. And in the 1930s, there are so many ways that things could go wrong for women (especially single women). I don't want to say too much about the plot, but this is just a fantastic read. You owe it to yourself to pick it up and get lost in this gorgeous world.Recommended.

This book was awesome. I really enjoyed it. I will give a full review at a later date.Be Blessed.

Rare Objects is set in Depression-era Boston and follows Maeve Fanning, a first-generation Irish woman, living with her widowed mother. Maeve makes some wrong choices and lands in a psychiatric hospital, like so many misunderstood women of that time. In the hospital she strikes up a friendship with Diana, who is from a wealthy Boston family, and their friendship continues outside of the hospital. Maeve gets sucked into Diana's web and both women feed off of each other as they try to push the boundaries and expectations set for them by society and even their social standings. Rare Objects is an exquisite look at the 1930's, of the Depression, of Prohibition, of the way women are looked at, and even how women are treated.Tessaro has written a novel about people who make mistakes -- mistakes we all have or could make. It's a reminder that we are all human and that we are more similar than we realize.

Fine my full review at https://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.Depression-era United States isn't a place and time I've read much about but, after reading Rare Objects, I'm starting to think that's been a mistake. Given this story's subject matter, the contrast between the poor, crowded, down on their luck immigrant communities like the one Maeve grew up in and the rich, opulent, and wanton world she becomes enmeshed in while working in the antiques store, is glaringly clear and that much more poignant for it. Whether this is just due to the subject matter or is due to the author's spectacular writing style - stark at times, whimsical at others, and always eloquent - I'm not sure. But regardless of the reasons, I absolutely loved it!The beginning of the novel is perfect, showing Maeve down on her luck and back at home with her mother, trying to make a new start for herself at a high-end antique store (dying her hair, lying about her origins, and going by "May with a y") while we, the reader, get to also see glimpses back over the last year as Maeve struggled in New York and then the mental hospital. This format does a great job of giving the reader a well rounded view of who Maeve is at this point of her life and just how much she lies, to herself as well as everyone else, about who she is. I loved Maeve from the beginning as she is such an intelligent, strong, and spunky character. However she isn't the only incredible character...Rare Objects is simply packed full with flawed and wonderfully complicated characters that I won't soon forget.One such character is Diana Van der Laar, someone I really didn't start out liking but that soon became impossibly endearing. Maeve and Diana seem to understand each other better than just about anyone else - they've both felt low enough to try and harm themselves, they've both felt like no one else really knows them and that the personas they present to the world are simply mirages, that secrets and lies are the only way to survive - but as Diana's character develops we start to see that there is quite a bit more going on in her life than Maeve could have expected. Diana seems to have actual mental issues going on such as impulse issues, paranoia and manic depression, aggravated by the painful experiences she has gone through and the shame she has gotten from her family. Both of these characters are incredibly damaged by what they've gone through and neither are sure how much they can trust anyone, even each other, in their quests to become happy, healthy women.Delightful character development aside, Kathleen Tessaro's writing blew me away! Her writing has a very classic feel to it and is simply lyrical and engaging. There is a part at the very end of the book, where the owner of the antiques store Maeve works at describes the technique used to repair one of her mother's beloved tea cups, that so perfectly wraps up the overall theme of the story as well as represents the beautiful language found through out -"It's not just a method of repair but also a philosophy," he explained. "It's the belief that the breaks, cracks, and repairs become a valuable and esteemed part of the history of an object, rather than something to be hidden. That, in fact, the piece is more beautiful for having been broken." - page 379This quote so perfectly represents for me most of the characters' journeys and just how much stronger and valuable they are for having experienced them. It's by being honest about who they each are - the good and the bad - and what they want out of life that they can finally heal and be the people they were meant to be. This realization is breathtaking and I can't express how happy I am to say that many of our characters end up getting what they deserve, whether that is a good thing or not. It has been a while since I've finished a story and actually felt kind of sad that the experience is over. I absolutely loved my time spent within the pages of Rare Objects and cannot recommend it enough to everyone.

Favorite Quotes:“It’s a trick I learned from my mother – when in doubt, act like you know what you’re doing, and you’ll be treated like you do. And if you can convince others, there’s a chance that someday you might just be able to convince yourself.”“I used to wonder what it felt like to waste something; as a child I couldn’t imagine anything more delicious or sinful than the extravagance of throwing things away. I’ve wasted a few things since then; it’s not as liberating as I imagined.”“Almost everywhere else, time was an enemy; the thief that rendered food rotten, dulled the bloom of youth, made fashions passé. But here it was the precious ingredient that transformed an ordinary object into a valuable artifact – from paintings to thimbles. I’d never been around such extraordinary things.”“I was unused to praise, wary of it, especially from her. It often proved only the harbinger of some future disappointment gathering on the horizon.”“He made a girl feel like she was a diamond and he the gold setting, designed to show her off.”“If you want to know why you drank too much in the first place, try stopping.”“I thought about the ring, how untouched it was by everything that had happened around it and would happen… Selena was right. It would journey from hand to hand, continent to continent, decade to decade – a time traveler made of agate and gold. We were the fragile ones. The ones who, like Mr. Tresalion’s salvaged objects, needed to be rescued, reimagined, restored.” My Review:I seldom read historical novels as I typically become too annoyed and antagonized by how the women were treated to properly enjoy the story. However, despite the limitations the women in this story were constricted by in 1932 Boston, I could not put this book down. The characters and issues they faced continue to be relevant and real, despite the year or era. Kathleen Tessaro is a gifted writer who adroitly captured and depicted May’s frustration, desperation, and exasperation with her lot in life, while also painting a vivid and fascinating account of the world spinning around her. Ms. Tessaro’s characters were deeply flawed, smart, witty, feisty, selfish, likable, alluring, seductive, and well drawn. Her writing was crisp, well paced, keenly observant, and acutely insightful. I saw myself so clearly in these pages and instantly bonded to the character of May/Maeve, as we share many similarities. I had also yearned throughout my youth to flee and reinvent myself away from the rigidity of family, and I would swear the author based May’s iron fisted, judgmental, critical, controlling, stingy, stubborn, penny-pinching mother – whom she absolutely ached to rebel against… on a matriarch who shares my DNA. While I am not saying I have never made a misstep, May was the mistress of bad decisions and poor choices. Poor May, when she failed on her own and found herself returning to her mother’s apartment a broke and broken adult, she continued her attempts at rebellion in a self-destructive manner. Yet she had moxie, and I adored her, and I am deeply enamored with Kathleen Tessaro.

A solid 3.75. I really enjoyed this one. Set in Depression Era Boston, Maeve Fanning is cunning, smart, and totally adrift. She finds herself working in an antique shop, and immersed both in the lives and inner workings of that business, as much as entangled with the Van De Leer family, enigmatic, mysterious, a glamorous world of half truths. One of the themes in the novel, was that "you become the story you tell." Selling rare objects is about the story of where things came from, broken, old, lost and found, and our histories. The parallel with the characters is portrayed in this vein. Ultimately, Maeve has to figure out her own history and who she ultimately wishes to become. I loved it. Breezed through it quickly, and then finished another one before reviewing it - and I dislike that, but I hope I've done it justice and honor. This was Book Five for me for my personal Prosperity Challenge.

KATHLEEN TESSARO "MERGINA IŠ ANTIKVARIATO"Šis pasakojimas pasakoja apie airę vardu Meivė. Nors mergina augo ir gyvena skurdžiai, tačiau yra iš tiesų protinga bei sumani. Ieškodama geresnio gyvenimo, ji išvyksta į Niujorką, kur netikėtai viskas pakrypsta ne taip, kaip Meivė planavo.. Ji pakliūva į psichiatrijos ligoninę. Atsigavusi ji sugrįžta atgal į Bostoną, kur sutinka merginą iš ligoninės. Taip užgimsta jų draugystė, bei Meivė pamato visai kitokį, aukštuomenės gyvenimą. 🌟Iš pat pradžių galvojau, jog manęs laukia lengvas romanas, tačiau klydau. Pasakojimas daug rimtesnis, nei gali pasirodyti iš pirmo žvilgsnio. Tai knyga apie savęs paieškas, skausmą, džiaugsmą, kovą dėl geresnio gyvenimo, draugystę bei išdavystę. Šioje knygoje apie laimę kalbama taip : "Laimė statoma iš paprastų kasdienių dalykų. Laimę sukuria apmokėtos sąskaitos ir švarūs drabužiai, šiltas maistas ir sveiki vaikai, vyras, kuris drąsiai žiūri tau į akis sugrįžęs namo, nes neturi ką nuo tavęs slėpti. Bet tai tokie kasdieniai ir paprasti dalykai, kad žmonės jų net nebepastebi. Žmonės trokšta rožių, nors turėtų norėti į namus įvesto vandens". ❤️

This book highlights personal survival in the unexpected highs and lows of life.Very simple read.Being quite lost and not knowing what’s the purpose of what you’re doing and why life doesn’t come to you like everyone else, thinking there’s an eternal damage in you caused by life’s harsh circumstances.What you know?..working in an antique shop where old, outdated, broken and damaged are considered of exceptional beauty and value, deep stories and history might help you mend your broken pieces with liquid gold and shine the real life you’ve lived with all it’s misery and glory.Book: Rare objects by Kathleen Tessaro.⭐️: 5/5

3.5 stars. Overall a good read. There were some intriguing characters in this story (lots of them actually) but in the end I wished there were less characters with small parts and more closure for the big characters. The narrator, Maeve, is a working girl in depression era Boston who makes some bad decisions that put her into a mental hospital where she meets Diana, the other main character whose story this book follows almost as closely. The problem I had was that Maeve's hospitalization seemed brought on merely for the author to give her an introduction to Diana and then just as quickly forgotten. The story is of their unlikely friendship and somewhat tells of their backgrounds, which I actually wish were given more attention. The story also has several smaller roles--Mauve's mother and friends from growing up, Diana's brother, and Mr. Kesser and Mr.Winshaw (who own the antique shop where Mauve becomes employed to start the story). These are the characters I wanted more closure for, at the end each is touched on but I felt the ending was lacking A bit. At times I really liked this one and was interested in what would happen next (or anxiously awaiting something bad), at other times the story lagged a bit but overall a good read.

Sometimes, being broken is the most interesting thing to happen....Set in Boston in the early thirties, it charts the friendship between two young women, Diana wealthy and privileged, and Maeve from an impoverished single parent family who meet at an asylum after failed suicide attempts. Maeve is drawn to unsuitable men, but managed to secure a job as sales assistant at an antique and curio shop co-owned by Mr. Kessler, the business partner, and archaeologist Mr. Winshaw who sources objects from around the world . It evokes a heady atmosphere of its age; conspicuous but claustrophobic opulence, against soup kitchens, and always the allure of rare objects that have passed through many hands through the ages. It introduces the skill of kintsugi, a Japanese method of repair, and also a philosophy. This was a delight to read. At first, I found the lack of chapters a little unsettling, but this added to the flow.