Title: The Gilded Years
Author: Karin Tanabe
First published June 17, 2016
379 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9781501110450 (ISBN10: 1501110454)
Rating: 3.87
Overview
The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe is a captivating historical novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black student to attend Vassar College. She successfully passed as white until she falls in love with the wrong person.
Anita has always dreamed of attending the most exclusive school for women in the country, Vassar College. As a beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she hides a secret that could have barred her from admission.
Anita is the only African-American student to attend Vassar College. With her olive complexion and dark hair, she has successfully passed as a white woman until she becomes roommates with Louise “Lottie” Taylor, a scion of one of New York’s most prominent families.
Lottie’s influence is irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Anita learns what it’s like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman, and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student.
However, Lottie’s infatuation with Anita’s brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister’s, threatens Anita’s secret. As graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.
Tanabe has written an emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal, set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age.
About the Author
Meet Karin Tanabe, a successful author who has written six novels, including A Hundred Suns and The Gilded Years. The latter is even being adapted into a major motion picture, produced by Zendaya and Reese Witherspoon/Hello Sunshine.
Karin’s impressive writing skills have been featured in several publications, such as The Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, and Newsday. Additionally, her expertise in celebrity and politics has earned her appearances on Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and CBS Early Show.
Karin is a Vassar College graduate and currently resides in Washington, D.C.
Editoral Review
In her novel The Gilded Years, Karin Tanabe masterfully tackles the issue of race and class in America during the Gilded Age. First published in June 2016, this historical fiction is a captivating account of how a young black woman, Anita Hemmings, broke through the color barrier at Vassar College in the late 1890s by passing as a wealthy white student.
Tanabe, a Japanese-American writer and former Politico journalist, skillfully delves into the story of Anita Hemmings, a real-life girl from Boston who was determined to attend Vassar College to fulfill her dreams of becoming a teacher. Using her skin lightening creams, Anita passes the fair skin test and is admitted to the prestigious all-female college.
The novels backdrop is the profound social and political changes in America during the Gilded Age a period marked by intense conflict between the progressive reformers and the conservative establishment. Upper-class white womens role in transforming American society and challenging gender roles is also highlighted.
Tanabe illuminates the nuances and contradictions of the time and creates a vivid world that the reader experiences through Hemmingss eyes. Through Anitas journey, Tanabe explores themes of identity, race, class, and survival in a world that was hostile towards African Americans.
The author handles this complex topic with sensitivity and tact, making the reader confront the realities of racial discrimination and the challenges that people of color faced at the time. Tanabes writing style, which is precise and lyrical, immerses readers into the world of privileged, white society.
The pacing of the novel is steady, with satisfying twists that keep the reader engaged. The novels characters, particularly Anita, are well rounded and well developed, with rich, detailed backstories that make them feel like real people.
The vividness of their experiences and emotions as they navigate through their various challenges makes them relatable and engaging. The Gilded Years provides a compelling retelling of Anita Hemmings story, adding flesh to this historical figure who has been relegated to a footnote in history.
Tanabes work is a compelling read, and it is worth admiring that she does not shy away from the difficult questions of race and class in her storytelling. Perhaps its only flaw, if any, is that Tanabe does not explore more of Anitas life beyond Vassar.
She devotes the first two-thirds of the novel to Anitas time at the college and the events leading up to it. Then, in a rushed ending, the author summarizes the remaining years of Anitas life in a few pages.
The effect is incomplete, and readers may feel like they miss out on what Anita does after she graduates. Overall, The Gilded Years is a thought-provoking and well-written novel.
It is an excellent choice for those interested in American history, especially the Gilded Age. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, provocative plots, and themes that are as relevant today as they were over 100 years ago.
It receives a rating of four out of five stars.
