For fans of Mary Beth Keane and Jennifer Egan, this powerful, moving multigenerational saga from National Book Award finalist Martha McPhee—ten years in the making—explores one family’s story against the sweep of 20th century American history. Drawn from the author’s own family history, An Elegant Woman is a story of discovery and reinvention, following four generations of women in one American family. As Isadora, a novelist, and two of her sisters sift through the artifacts of their forebears’ lives, trying to decide what to salvage and what to toss, the narrative shifts to a winter day in 1910 at a train station in Ohio. Two girls wait in the winter cold with their mother—the mercurial Glenna Stewart—to depart for a new life in the West. As Glenna campaigns in Montana for women’s suffrage and teaches in one-room schoolhouses, Tommy takes care of her little sister, Katherine: trapping animals, begging, keeping house, cooking, while Katherine goes to school. When Katherine graduates, Tommy makes a decision that will change the course of both of their lives. A profound meditation on memory, history, and legacy, An Elegant Woman follows one woman over the course of the 20th century, taking the reader from a drought-stricken farm in Montana to a yellow Victorian in Maine; from the halls of a psychiatric hospital in London to a wedding gown fitting at Bergdorf Goodman; from a house in small town Ohio to a family reunion at a sweltering New Jersey pig roast. Framed by Isadora’s efforts to retell her grandmother’s journey—and understand her own—the novel is an evocative exploration of the stories we tell ourselves, and what we leave out.

Fashion may come and go, beauty may fade, but elegance is forever. In an attempt to feel more comfortable in a more elegant crowd, I endeavored to find ways to assimilate. I didn't think I could keep up by buying more Chanel bags, and thankfully I realized later that I didn't have to! Elegance is so much more than beautiful things. I wanted to be like Audrey Hepburn, but I wondered how to translate old school manners and classic dressing into this modern world. I didn't want to be like the woman who looked stuck in the 50s. This book was based on my journey about learning to be elegant without losing myself and becoming someone I'm not. I've since realized that there is more to being elegant than becoming the stereotypical 'elegant woman'. You can wear your own version of elegance, as long as principles of elegance remain. You don't even have to like pearls (though, they are very tasteful.) This book is written for all those who feel they need more ideas for a little more elegance, confidence and beauty. Most of all, I hope they find encouragement that they too can live a beautiful life regardless of budget or circumstance.

Now out in Paperback! How To Be Chic and Elegant was first published as an ebook in November 2011. The Kindle version fast became a cult classic and has not been out of the top rankings in its categories since February 2012. Marie-Anne Lecoeur, The French Chic Expert and French author of "Pear Shape", "Plus Size" and "The Tidy Closet", gives you over 200 simple tips in this book that will propel you to sidewalk model in no time at all. Here are just a few of the subjects covered: The principles of French elegance, The secrets of achieving a French Woman's Style, Over 200 TIPS to attain that Chic Look, Which clothes to avoid at all costs. Many women are crying out for the secrets of effortless French Chic. Here, in one small book, you have those secrets and more besides.This book is direct and straightforward, with no waffle or padding. Apply the tips right away, and literally see results in the mirror immediately. Save money on impulse purchases and learn to sharpen your style eye. Follow this French Author's simple instructions and start hearing the compliments roll in! Adopt the timeless style of Chic French women today.

The original What Not to Wear from one of fashion's most enduringly stylish women ... Written by French style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, Elegance is a classic style bible for timeless chic, grace, and poise -- every tidbit of advice today's woman could possibly need, all at the tips of her (perfectly manicured) fingers. From Accessories to Zippers, Madame Dariaux imparts her pearls of wisdom on all things fashion-related -- and also offers advice on other crucial areas in life from shopping with girlfriends (don't) to marriage and sex.

NOW IN PAPERBACK! A modern look at the life of a fashion icon—with practical life lessons for women of all ages Delving into the extraordinary life of renowned French fashion designer Coco Chanel, Karen Karbo has written a new kind of self-help book, exploring Chanel’s philosophy on a range of universal themes—from style to passion, from money and success to femininity and living life on your own terms.

In a world of uniformity and globalized styles, only some cultivated gentlemen retain their independence over the way they dress and live. In this book, photographer Rose Callahan and writer Nathaniel Adams document the well-kempt lives of 57 protagonists of contemporary dandyism with a keen, yet empathie eye. Their carefully composed portraits not only depict the clothes, accessories, and homes of their subjects, but also capture the essence of their lifestyles in thoroughly entertaining and deeply insightful texts. The diversity of the men portrayed in I am Dandy is striking. They come from a variety of different countries, cultures, and social circles and make their livings in a range of occupations. By showcasing their styles, attitudes, and philosophies in all of their nuances, the book reveals that dandyism today is an attitude and calling that can be cultivated on any budget.

In preparing a book of etiquette for ladies, I would lay down as the first rule, "Do unto others as you would others should do to you." You can never be rude if you bear the rule always in mind, for what lady likes to be treated rudely? True Christian politeness will always be the result of an unselfish regard for the feelings of others, and though you may err in the ceremonious points of etiquette, you will never be impolite. Politeness, founded upon such a rule, becomes the expression, in graceful manner, of social virtues. The spirit of politeness consists in a certain attention to forms and ceremonies, which are meant both to please others and ourselves, and to make others pleased with us; a still clearer definition may be given by saying that politeness is goodness of heart put into daily practice; there can be no _true_ politeness without kindness, purity, singleness of heart, and sensibility.

“Suzanne Scanlon enters the inverted space of grief and near-madness with courage, intelligence, and wit—and with a small, sharp light for us to follow.” —Dawn Raffel A series of fragmentary tales tells the story of Lizzie, a young woman who, in her early twenties, unexpectedly embarks on a journey through psychiatric institutions, a journey that will end up lasting many years. With echoes of Sylvia Plath, and against a cultural backdrop that includes Shakespeare, Woody Allen, and Heathers, Suzanne Scanlon’s first novel is both a deeply moving account of a life of crisis and a brilliantly original work of art.

This is an extraordinary book of stories. Many of the characters are anchored to coastal Maine, but a particular quality of wildness animates nearly all of them. The stories are energetic, often mysterious, and beautifully written, and they will stay in your memory long after you finish the book. Charles Baxter Moving along the Maine Coast and beyond, the interconnected stories in Goodnight, Beautiful Women bring us into the sultry, mysterious inner lives of New England women and girls as they navigate the dangers and struggles of their outer worlds. With novelistic breadth and a quicksilver emotional intelligence, Noyes explores the ruptures and vicissitudes of growing up and growing old, and shines a light on our most uncomfortable impulses while masterfully charting the depths of our murky desires. A woman watches her husband throw one by one their earthly possessions into the local quarry, before vanishing himself; two girls from very different social classes find themselves deep in the throes of a punishing affair; a motherless teenager is sexually awakened in the aftermath of a local trauma; and a woman s guilt from a childhood lie about her intellectually disabled cousin reverberates into her married years. Dark and brilliant, rhythmic and lucid, Goodnight, Beautiful Women marks the arrival of a fearless and unique new young voice in American fiction.

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection “[Lucey] delivers the goods, disclosing the unhappy or colorful lives that Sargent sometimes hinted at but didn’t spell out.”—Boston Globe In this seductive, multilayered biography, based on original letters and diaries, Donna M. Lucey illuminates four extraordinary women painted by the iconic high-society portraitist John Singer Sargent. With uncanny intuition, Sargent hinted at the mysteries and passions that unfolded in his subjects’ lives. These women inhabited a rarefied world of wealth and strict conventions—yet all of them did something unexpected, something shocking, to upend society’s rules.