The Honeybee Emeralds
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
A 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist for Best First Novel
“Debut novelist Tector captures European life and her characters beautifully as she interweaves the perspectives of four women seeking fulfillment and success in this satisfying adventure. Keep an eye on this author.” —Booklist
Alice Ahmadi has never been certain of where she belongs. When she discovers a famed emerald necklace while interning at a struggling Parisian magazine, she is plunged into a glittering world of diamonds and emeralds, courtesans and spies, and the long-buried secrets surrounding the necklace and its glamorous former owners.
When Alice realizes the mysterious Honeybee Emeralds could be her chance to save the magazine, she recruits her friends Lily and Daphne to form the “Fellowship of the Necklace.” Together, they set out to uncover the romantic history of the gems. Through diaries, letters, and investigations through the winding streets and iconic historic landmarks of Paris, the trio begins to unravel more than just the secrets of the necklace’s obsolete past. Along the way, Lily and Daphne’s relationships are challenged, tempered, and changed. Lily faces her long-standing attraction to a friend, who has achieved the writing success that eluded her. Daphne confronts her failing relationship with her husband, while also facing simmering problems in her friendship with Lily. And, at last, Alice finds her place in the world―although one mystery still remains: how did the Honeybee Emeralds go from the neck of American singer Josephine Baker during the Roaring Twenties to the basement of a Parisian magazine?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tector imagines a necklace with connections to two notable women in her nuanced if contrived debut. After Alice, a young Iranian British woman interning in Paris at a floundering expat magazine, discovers a stunning necklace in the office's basement, American editor Lily sees a chance to save the magazine with a splashy cover story. Lily recruits a motley group to research the jewelry's history, among them Luc Seguin, who inherited the magazine from his mother; wunderkind writer Jacob, Lily's college friend; Lily's best friend, Daphne, director of the International Art Registry; and next-door neighbor Alexander, a laconic Icelandic perfumer. They find ties to Louis Napoleon III's mistress and American singer Josephine Baker. The team takes to calling themselves the "Fellowship of the Necklace," and after they learn the editor of their swankier rival magazine is onto the story, they rush to put the pieces together. Conveniently, they tend to find more clues at just the right time. Though the intrigue feels manufactured, Tector adds some texture by delving into personal issues among the "Fellowship," including Alice's lack of confidence, Daphne's faltering marriage, and Lily's unresolved feelings for Jacob. There's also a surprisingly tender portrayal of the magazine's stern business manager, who endures a life of quiet disappointment. The story doesn't impress, but the author does a great job developing her characters.
