Tara Conklin Bücher

Im Sommer 1981 verlieren die Geschwister Renee, Caroline, Joe und Fiona ihren Vater, was zu Jahren führt, die als „die Pause“ in Erinnerung bleiben. Während ihre Mutter in ihrer Trauer versinkt, kümmern sich die Geschwister umeinander, durchstreifen die Wälder und Fiona lernt das Schwimmen. Diese gemeinsamen Erlebnisse stärken ihr Band, doch die Verletzungen, die sie erlitten haben, zeigen sich erst Jahrzehnte später in einer weiteren Tragödie. Das Werk ist ein ergreifendes Familienepos, das die Bindungen zwischen Menschen, die Verantwortung füreinander und den Verlust sowie das Wiederfinden von geliebten Menschen thematisiert. Es wird als klug und warm beschrieben, mit einer präzisen Beobachtungsgabe. Die Erzählung bietet eine originelle Perspektive auf die universellen Themen Familie und menschliche Beziehungen. Der detailreiche und gefühlvolle Schreibstil wird als fast poetisch empfunden und regt zum Nachdenken an. Der Roman behandelt die komplexen Themen Liebe, Selbstfindung und Verlust und zeigt, dass jede Handlung Konsequenzen hat. Die Autorin stellt mit pointierter Dringlichkeit die Frage nach der gegenseitigen Verantwortung in zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen.

Set against the backdrop of a summer marked by a family funeral and a pivotal moment known as the Pause, the story explores the lives of the Skinner siblings—Renee, Caroline, Joe, and Fiona. As they navigate the complexities of their relationships and the impact of their past, two decades later, a new family crisis challenges their loyalty and connection. This forces them to reevaluate their choices and confront the lengths they will go to for love, highlighting themes of family dynamics and personal growth.

The House Girl, the historical fiction debut by Tara Conklin, is an unforgettable story of love, history, and a search for justice, set in modern-day New York and 1852 Virginia. Weaving together the story of an escaped slave in the pre–Civil War South and a determined junior lawyer, The House Girl follows Lina Sparrow as she looks for an appropriate lead plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking compensation for families of slaves. In her research, she learns about Lu Anne Bell, a renowned prewar artist whose famous works might have actually been painted by her slave, Josephine. Featuring two remarkable, unforgettable heroines, Tara Conklin's The House Girl is riveting and powerful, literary fiction at its very best.

Murbridge, Darcy is convinced, will welcome her home and provide a safe space in which she can nurse her wounds and harbor grudges, both real and imagined.But Murbridge, like so much else Darcy thought to be fixed and immutable, has changed.

A stunning debut novel intertwines the stories of an escaped house slave in 1852 Virginia and an ambitious young lawyer in contemporary New York. In Virginia, seventeen-year-old Josephine Bell decides to flee the failing tobacco farm where she serves as a slave and nurse to her ailing mistress, aspiring artist Lu Anne Bell. In New York City, Lina Sparrow, a first-year associate at an elite law firm, faces a challenging assignment: finding the "perfect plaintiff" for a historic class-action lawsuit seeking trillions in reparations for descendants of American slaves. Through her father, renowned artist Oscar Sparrow, Lina uncovers Josephine Bell's story and a controversy in the art world: are the iconic paintings attributed to Lu Anne Bell actually the work of her house slave, Josephine? A descendant of Josephine could be the ideal face for the lawsuit—if Lina can trace her lineage. As she follows the faint trail through old letters and plantation records, Lina questions her own family history and the secrets her father has long kept, including the truth about her mother's death. This searing, suspenseful tale explores the complexities of art, history, love, and the quest for justice, raising profound questions about the nature of truth and the possibility of repairing past wrongs.