The Fifth Avenue Artists Society cover

The Fifth Avenue Artists Society

by Joy Callaway

"A charming debut about a family of four artistic sisters on the outskirts of Gilded Age New York high society and centered on the oldest--an aspiring writer caught between the boy next door and a mysterious novelist who inducts her into Manhattan's most elite artistic salon which has a seedy underbelly and secrets to hide"-- The Bronx, 1891. The four Loftin sisters live in genteel poverty. When Charlie, the boy next door, proposes to a wealthy woman, Ginny is devastated and begins obsessively rewriting her story, seeking a better ending. She attends a salon hosted in her brother's writer friend at a Fifth Avenue mansion. John Hopper's romantic attentions help Ginny return to herself, until Charlie throws himself back into her path, and Ginny learns that the salon's bright lights may be obscuring some dark shadows.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?