Inheritances, family heirlooms, and tributes to iconic actresses are hallmarks of Brenda Janowitz's emotionally moving historical fiction. A priceless family jewel defines an epic love story in Janowitz's The Elizabeth Taylor Ring. The history behind a royal wedding dress unearths hidden desires that change the lives of three generations of women in The Grace Kelly Dress. And in The Audrey Hepburn Estate, Rolling Hill--a once-stately manor located on Long Island that served as inspiration for the Billy Wilder film Sabrina--harbors startling family secrets.
Emma Jansen, a single, 32-year-old successful chef, returns to the place where she grew up to cater a party. Her parents had once worked at the Rolling Hill estate, which will soon be demolished. There, she reconnects with her first love, Henry van der Wraak, the grandson heir of the original estate owner, and her best friend from childhood, Leo L'Unico, now a real estate developer whose father served as a driver at the estate. The three were raised as siblings, and, after years of separation, they reunite. But the place that once anchored their early lives suddenly unearths deceptions from the past. What will it take for them to reconcile difficult memories and feelings?
The movie Sabrina and Audrey Hepburn's real life serve as inspiration for this painstakingly researched historical drama turned love story, which frames a beautifully rendered portrait of how the past and the true meaning of "home" can come to define the future. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines