The Lioness of Boston

Books

A compelling historical novel, driven by an unforgettable heroine: Isabella Stewart Gardner. Scandalizing uptight Bostonians with her forthright opinions and unique style, philanthropist and collector Gardner became a living legend when she opened her Italian palazzo-style home as a museum, showcasing her collection of old masters, antiques and objects d'art. She was seen as a trailblazer, a woman unafraid of controversy, painted by Sargent in a portrait of daring décolletage, fond of such stunts as walking a pair of lions around the Boston Public Garden. Yet, before she inhabited the role of the outrageous and brilliant woman history has depicted her to be, Isabella was twenty years old, newly married to wealthy trader Jack Gardner, unsure of herself and puzzled by the frosty reception she received. In any era when women were supposed to fade into the wallpaper, and female conversation was expected to be decorative, quiet and seemly, Isabella found herself boycotted by polite society because she was not ...