The Great Mrs. Elias

Viac o knihe

The author of the award-winning Sally Hemings presents a mesmerizing novel about Hannah Elias, one of the wealthiest black women in early 1900s America. The story begins with a murder and a case of mistaken identity that leads the police to Hannah's opulent mansion on Central Park West. This sets off an odyssey that reveals the dangerous secrets of a woman who built a fortune and faced a dramatic downfall. Born in late 1800s Philadelphia, Hannah has made questionable choices to survive. She sheds her past and adopts a new identity, moving to New York City to amass wealth comparable to that of a robber baron. With the help of businessmen, she quietly invests in the stock market, hiding her millions across 29 banks. Finally achieving her dream life, she decorates her Upper West Side mansion in gold, inspired by Cleopatra. However, the unsolved murder disrupts Hannah's world, threatening everything she has built. As her true identity is revealed, thousands protest outside her home. Hounded by the press, the private Mrs. Elias finds herself alone, embroiled in a scandalous trial, accused of stealing her fortune from whites. Filled with glamour, suspense, and drama, the novel brings to life a fascinating woman and the era she embodied.