Join us

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Newsletter

Alexandra Lapierre

Belle Greene

Cover: Belle Greene - Alexandra Lapierre

Alexandra Lapierre

Belle Greene

2023, pp. 496, Paperback
ISBN: 9781609458577
Translated by: Tina Kover
Region: France
Available as ebook Available as ebook Available as ebook
$ 18.95

The book

New York in the 1900s. A young girl fascinated by rare books defies all odds and becomes the director of one of the country’s most prestigious private libraries belonging to the magnate J. P. Morgan, one of the city’s richest men.

Flamboyant, brilliant, beautiful, Belle da Costa Greene is among New York society’s most sought after intellectuals. She also hides a secret. Although she looks white, she is African American, the daughter of a famous black activist who sees her desire to hide her origins as a betrayal. Torn between history’s ineluctable imperatives and the freedom to belong to the society of her choosing, Belle’s drama, which plays out in a violently racist America, is one that resonates forcefully, and illuminatingly even today.

Based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene, this is a richly imagined and extensively researched novel that is bursting with atmosphere, lush period detail, and unforgettable characters. It recounts the struggles, victories, and heartbreaks of a woman who is free, astonishingly determined, daring, and fully, exuberantly alive.


The author

Alexandra Lapierre
Alexandra Lapierre is a bestselling French novelist, short story writer and biographer. She graduated from Sorbonne University and the University of Southern California. Among her works that bring back to life great women and characters neglected by history, is the international bestseller Artemisia (Vintage, 2012). Her books have been published in more than twenty countries.

Press

From the same country

  • Cover: Paradises Lost - Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

    Paradises Lost

    2024, pp. , $ 27.00
    The beginning of a unique adventure, the tremendous challenge of recounting the history of humanity.
  • Cover: Living with our Dead - Delphine Horvilleur

    Delphine Horvilleur

    Living with our Dead

    2024, pp. 144, $ 24.00
    WINNER OF THE 2021 BABELIO PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION A timely, powerful reflection on our relationship to death and an invitation to accept...
  • Cover: One Hour of Fervor - Muriel Barbery

    Muriel Barbery

    One Hour of Fervor

    2024, pp. 196, $ 26.00
    From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story of one man’s promise to keep a secret that will keep...
  • Cover: Kids Run the Show - Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan

    Kids Run the Show

    2023, pp. 272, $ 26.00
    A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.
  • Cover: Here, and Only Here - Christelle Dabos

    Christelle Dabos

    Here, and Only Here

    2023, pp. 200, $ 21.00
    The new novel from the million-copy bestselling author of The Mirror Visitor Quartet
  • Cover: The Postcard - Anne Berest

    Anne Berest

    The Postcard

    2023, 786 min., $ 29.95
    Brilliantly told, Anne Berest’s luminous, moving, and unforgettable new book The Postcard is the most acclaimed and beloved French novel in...

More suggestions

  • Cover: I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning - Keiran Goddard

    Keiran Goddard

    I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

    2024, pp. 208, $ 27.00
    Told from the alternating perspectives of five friends who grew up together on the same council estate, I See Buildings Fall like Lightning...
  • Cover: No One Dies Yet - Kobby Ben Ben

    Kobby Ben Ben

    No One Dies Yet

    2024, pp. 384, $ 18.00
    A genre-breaking novel from a powerful new African voice
  • Cover: The Fair Folk - Su Bristow

    Su Bristow

    The Fair Folk

    2024, pp. 400, $ 18.00
    From prize-winning author Su Bristow comes a fascinating coming-of-age novel about magic and the choices that define future generations.
  • Cover: The Other Profile - Irene Graziosi

    Irene Graziosi

    The Other Profile

    2024, pp. 224, $ 27.00
    A story of a conflicted friendship and its unraveling, told against the background of an ever-present, mind-twisting social media-verse
  • Cover: One Hour of Fervor - Muriel Barbery

    Muriel Barbery

    One Hour of Fervor

    2024, pp. 196, $ 26.00
    From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story of one man’s promise to keep a secret that will keep...
  • Cover: The Dolphin House - Audrey Schulman

    Audrey Schulman

    The Dolphin House

    2024, pp. 320, $ 17.95
    Based on the true story of the 1965 “dolphin house” experiment, this spellbinding novel captures the tenor of the social experiments of the 1960’s...

Join Our Newsletter and receive a FREE eBook!

Stay updated on Europa’s forthcoming releases, author tours and major news.

Are you a bookseller? Click here!

Are you a librarian? Click here!

X