Publication Day for ‘The Gilded Cage’

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”― Dr. Seuss

At last we reconnect with Emily and Corey as The Gilded Cage hits shelves today! It is available to buy from Amazon Prime and other online book sellers worldwide. As with its prequel Certain Liberties, there is a special section with reader questions for book group discussions. Both books, the family saga all together, would make a great gift this season as we hunker down to get lost in a good story.

The Gilded Cage, sequel to Certain Liberties, is immersed in historical currents of the mid 1800s, an intense family saga with the same memorable characters, while introducing a few new ones. The Gilded Cage explores tensions of the post-Civil War Reconstruction North and South. The unrest of a young couple’s early-age marriage adds to the crushing pressures Emily and Corey must survive to excel as a parents, partners, and performers. Their struggle to live a “normal” life must endure betrayal, The Great Chicago Fire, and the Women’s Asylum on Blackwell’s Island. Survival, escape, and resilience unite in this portrait of a family and country emerging from a great Civil War and the social turmoil that followed.

“Stark follows the fortunes of a talented violinist and her family into the tumults of Reconstruction in this sequel to Certain Liberties (2019)… As in the previous novel, Stark weaves her characters’ trajectories into the larger events of the time… Stark’s detailed recreation of the time period—culturally, linguistically, and philosophically—should please those who like nothing better than escaping into previous eras… Stark’s prose is elegant and ornate, evoking the Victorian novels that were popular during the time period… An unhurried and painterly novel of a musician finding her voice.” — Kirkus Reviews

As a refresher to where we left off at the end of Certain Liberties, my publishing team made this little trailer for you to enjoy. You can watch it by clicking the play button on the embedded video below: