Rare Objects: A Novel

In Depression-era Boston, a city divided by privilege and poverty, two unlikely friends are bound by a dangerous secret in this mesmerizing novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfume Collector.

Maeve Fanning is a first generation Irish immigrant, born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston’s North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and as headstrong as her red hair suggests, she’s determined to better herself despite the overwhelming hardships of the Great Depression.

However, Maeve also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin—a rebellious appetite that soon finds her spiraling downward, leading a double life. When the strain proves too much, Maeve becomes an unwilling patient in a psychiatric hospital, where she strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic young woman, who, like Maeve, is unable or unwilling to control her un-lady-like desire for freedom.

Once out, Maeve faces starting over again. Armed with a bottle of bleach and a few white lies, she lands a job at an eccentric antiques shop catering to Boston’s wealthiest and most peculiar collectors. Run by an elusive English archeologist, the shop is a haven of the obscure and incredible, providing rare artifacts as well as unique access to the world of America’s social elite. While delivering a purchase to the wealthy Van der Laar family, Maeve is introduced to beautiful socialite Diana Van der Laar—only to discover she’s the young woman from the hospital.

Reunited with the charming but increasingly unstable Diana and pursued by her attractive brother James, Mae becomes more and more entwined with the Van der Laar family—a connection that pulls her into a world of moral ambiguity and deceit, and ultimately betrayal. Bewitched by their wealth and desperate to leave her past behind, Maeve is forced to unearth her true values and discover how far she’ll to go to reinvent herself.

In Depression-era Boston, a city divided by privilege and poverty, two unlikely friends are bound by a dangerous secret. . . .

Maeve Fanning, a first generation Irish immigrant, was born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston’s North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and headstrong, Maeve is determined to better herself despite the hardships of the Great Depression. However, she also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin—a rebellious appetite for experience that soon finds her spiraling downward in New York City. When the strain proves too much, Maeve becomes an involuntary patient in a remote psychiatric hospital, where she strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic young woman, who, like Maeve, is unable or unwilling to control her unladylike desire for freedom.

After her release, Maeve returns to Boston to start over again, landing a job at an antiques shop catering to the city’s wealthiest and most peculiar collectors. Run by an elusive English archeologist, the shop is a haven for the obscure and incredible, supplying one-of-a-kind artifacts to its customers while providing Maeve with unique access into the world of New England’s social elite. While delivering a purchase to a wealthy family, Maeve is introduced to beautiful socialite Diana Van der Laar—only to discover she’s the same young woman from the hospital.

Reunited with the charming but increasingly unstable Diana and pursued by her attractive brother James, Maeve becomes more and more entwined with the Van der Laar family—a connection that pulls her into a world of moral ambiguity and deceit. Bewitched by their wealth and desperate to leave her past behind, Maeve is forced to unearth her true values and discover just how far she’s willing to go to reinvent herself.

A rich, universal story of ambition, transformation, desire, and betrayal, Rare Objects is acclaimed writer Kathleen Tessaro’s finest work to date.

Advance Praise for Rare Objects

“Rare Objects is a delicious novel by the imaginative and deft Kathleen Tessaro, who creates unforgettable worlds, and within them, compelling characters who stay with the reader long after she reaches the end. Maeve Fanning is resourceful, loaded with ambition and pluck, but also burdened with an insatiable appetite for more, whether it’s romance, booze, or the beautiful things a life of luxury provides. This novel turns like the delicate ballerina on a music box; rich in detail, you can’t take your eyes off of her, and like Maeve, you shouldn’t, as there is much to savor in the dance.”—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens

“A beautifully written, thoroughly absorbing novel, full of rich historical detail and intriguing characters. A delight from start to end.”—Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of Violets

“Set in Depression-era Boston, Kathleen Tessaro’s lovely novel about prized possessions, slick façades, broken lives, and a young woman with a past is a treasure!”—Stephanie Lehmann, author of Astor Place Vintage

Praise for The Perfume Collector

“Fragrance, fashion, and a puzzling bequest lead a 1950s British socialite into a whirl of Parisian intrigue in Kathleen Tessaro’s The Perfume Collector.”—Good Housekeeping

“A bewitching, compelling novel, full of dark desires, long-buried secrets, revisited memories, and new opportunities.”—Booklist

“Dazzles the senses.”—Publishers Weekly

“Excellent. . . Tessaro has the skill to transport the reader to another time and place. She put me on the streets of Boston’s North End. But her description of places and sensations throughout the book are wonderful.” - Charles Belfoure, New York Times bestselling author of HOUSE OF THIEVES AND THE PARIS ARCHITECT

“Period details, exquisite antiques, and Maeve’s resilient immigrant community enhance this understated story. Tessaro’s sixth novel (after THE FLIRT) will please her fans as well as historical fiction readers seeking a detailed sense of place and a character’s journey.” - Library Journal

“Rare Objects is a delicious novel by the imaginative and deft Kathleen Tessaro, who creates unforgettable worlds, and within them, compelling characters who stay with the reader long after she reaches the end.” - Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens

“A beautifully written, thoroughly absorbing novel, full of rich historical detail and intriguing characters. A delight from start to end.” - Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of Violets

“Set in Depression-era Boston, Kathleen Tessaro’s lovely novel about prized possessions, slick façades, broken lives, and a young woman with a past is a treasure!” - Stephanie Lehmann, author of Astor Place Vintage

“Tessaro’s complicated heroines—and the shattering reveal of secret after secret—will keep readers guessing until the final page.” - Publishers Weekly

“I love Tessaro’s novels and Rare Objects does not disappoint. A glamorous tale of ambition and deception, it is beautifully written, meticulously researched and so vividly characterised that I felt I knew Diana and Mae. A wonderfully absorbing and diverting read with a clever twist in the tale.” - Isabel Wolff, author of Ghostwritten

“Tessaro’s eye for historical detail is impressive, blending the fashion, music, and cultural attitudes of 1930s Boston into a richly layered story. . . . cleverly crafted with a beguiling heroine amid sumptuous scenery. RARE OBJECTS examines the fragility of self-preservation and the power of personal reinvention.” - Booklist