The Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper

In 1908, Dorothy Tuckerman, a young socialite, seeks passion and adventure at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, but her family intervenes. Thirty-eight years later, she returns to restore the resort with her company's future at stake. With daring ideas, she has one last chance to achieve her dreams or succumb to society's expectations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 23 June 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins Focus

In 1908, young Dorothy Tuckerman finds herself suffocating under the monotonous customs of her privileged socialite circles. The only respite from the beige monotony comes with the aristocrats' annual summer escapades to The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, a place that sparks her imagination. It is in this picturesque setting that Dorothy encounters an unexpected romance with an Italian racecar driver, giving her a taste of the passion and adventure she craves. However, her family intervenes, imposing a life that she desperately seeks to escape.

Thirty-eight years later, as World War II nears its end, Dorothy has defied societal expectations by divorcing her husband and establishing America's first interior design firm. Now, she returns to The Greenbrier with the daunting task of restoring it to even greater splendor than its original glory. With her beloved company's future hanging in the balance and brimming with daring, unconventional ideas, Dorothy has one final opportunity to give her dreams the wings they deserve or succumb to the fate that society has predetermined for her.

The Grand Design, based on the true story of renowned designer Dorothy Draper, is a poignant tale of one woman's relentless pursuit of freedom. "Five Stars!" exclaimed Carleton Varney, the president of Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc. "As captivating and confident as the heroine at its center." Kristy Woodson Harvey, a New York Times bestselling author, praised the book as "as captivating and confident as the heroine at its center." Kelly OConnor McNees, the author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, exclaimed, "Full of luscious details of fashion and luxury!"

Louise Claire Johnson, the author of Behind the Red Door, hailed it as "a dazzling, intimate portrait." Elyssa Friedland, the author of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel, praised it as "historical fiction at its finest."

Weight: 312g
Dimension: 211 x 139 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781400234370