Passion, redemption, and a battered suitcase full of secrets: the New York Times-bestselling author of A Hundred Summers returns with another engrossing tale.

Manhattan, 1964. Vivian Schuyler, newly graduated from Bryn Mawr College, has recently defied the privilege of her storied old Fifth Avenue family to do the unthinkable for a budding Kennedy-era socialite: break into the Mad Men world of razor-stylish Metropolitan magazine. But when she receives a bulky overseas parcel in the mail, the unexpected contents draw her inexorably back into her family’s past, and the hushed-over crime passionnel of an aunt she never knew, whose existence has been wiped from the record of history.

Berlin, 1914. Violet Schuyler Grant endures her marriage to the philandering and decades-older scientist Dr. Walter Grant for one reason: for all his faults, he provides the necessary support to her liminal position as a young American female physicist in prewar Germany. The arrival of Dr. Grant’s magnetic former student at the beginning of Europe’s fateful summer interrupts this delicate détente. Lionel Richardson, a captain in the British Army, challenges Violet to escape her husband’s perverse hold, and as the world edges into war and Lionel’s shocking true motives become evident, Violet is tempted to take the ultimate step to set herself free and seek a life of her own conviction with a man whose cause is as audacious as her own.

As the iridescent and fractured Vivian digs deeper into her aunt’s past and the mystery of her ultimate fate, Violet’s story of determination and desire unfolds, shedding light on the darkness of her years abroad . . . and teaching Vivian to reach forward with grace for the ambitious future––and the love––she wants most.

Reader Reviews

Patty

(5/5)

Nov 21, 2024

The Secret Life Of Violet GrantByBeatriz WilliamsWhat it's all about...Well...it's about a mysterious battered suitcase and what happens because of it.My thoughts after reading this book...Oh my goodness I had much love for this book. It had two awesome superstar heroines, lots of mystery, lots of banter, lots of cocktails, espionage, broken hearts and international travel! Plus did I say amazing lunches of tomato soup and grilled cheese and yummy breakfasts of Yuban coffee, bacon, scrambled egg...

Lisa

(3/5)

Hopping between pre-WW I Europe and 1960s New York City, The Secret Life of Violet Grant is snappy, easy-reading with a few twists.

Christina

(4/5)

4 Stars!The year is 1964. Vivian Schuyler, fresh from Bryn Mawr college, has defied her family's wishes for her future by finding work at Metropolitan magazine. She hopes to be a writer, but her editor dismisses her, making her good for nothing more than grabbing his coffe and checking the occasional fact. When an unexpected parcel arrives for her, it starts a journey into the life of an aunt that she never knew and a scandalous story to go with it...hopefully If she can uncover the full story,

Katz Nancy from NJ

(2/5)

I toyed with the idea of giving this book a one star rating but thought I'd be kind. I really disliked this book and don't think I'll read this title again. The premise was a good one. A young woman who yearns to be a journalist receives a valise from a name she doesn't recognize. From here the book takes on two different stories which are from the present and back to 1914.I found the modern day dialogue ridiculous as well as one of the main character's interest in a man she meets at the post of...

Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

A suitcase full of secrets? A suitcase that opens up the proverbial can of worms which leads Vivian Schuyler to find out about her aunt who supposedly murdered her husband.Once Vivian found out some juicy details about her aunt, she couldn't stop researching her life. This could be her big break at the magazine with this story.THE SECRET LIFE OF VIOLET GRANT goes back and forth between Vivian's life and Aunt Violet's life. Are there parallels between their lives? Vivian wants to know about her a...

Cameran

DNF -- July 2014Unfortunately this is the second Beatriz Williams book that has not gone over well with me. I wanted to like this story, and I was very intrigued by the synopsis and the beautiful cover. But my impressions of the characters evolved to such a point that I decided to abandon this book almost exactly at the halfway mark.Vivian, no matter how much I love her name, got on my nerves. I felt as if the attempt to make her this damaged woman who uses wit to protect herself was completely

JudiAnne

This novel has been referred to as a beach read. A beach read is not great literature and perhaps you wouldn’t want to put it on your bookshelf between, lets say, War and Peace and Oliver Twist. I know for sure when I pick up a book in this genre it’s going to be light, fluffy, and a lot of fun but not to be taken seriously and that is exactly the genre The Secret life of Violet Grant falls in. It served me very well being a lighter break, in between deeply serious novels and the absolutely perf...

Lisa Mcbroom

(1/5)

What a disappointment! The premises sounded wonderful... set in the 1960's a young woman discovers her aunt Violet's secret suitcase of documents during World War II but the writing is horrible and the heroine just makes you want to put a spike in your head!!!!

Laurel

I will not keep you in suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females. I adored this novel. Even though the combination of storylines, both historical (1910's) and contemporary (1960's) was brilliant, I was truly taken with the contemporary plotline much more. Heroine Vivian Schuyler receives a vintage suitcase from the past from her great aunt Violet Grant, the rich New York Schuyler family black sheep - sending her on a mission of discovery into her aunt's scandalous life as a sc...

Jody McGrath

Actually, I would rate it a 3 and 1/2 stars.It is two stories, told in alternating chapters, taking place in different times in history. Violet is a young and innocent American scientist studying in England in 1912ish. Her storyline is about illicit love affairs and the beginning of WWI. Vivian's storyline takes place in the 60s I believe (I can't remember now), and is also about a love affair, but it is also about her learning the existence of her Aunt Violet and trying to put together the piec...

Dana

This was a great story, alternating between two storylines ~ Violet (1914) and her great-niece, Vivian (1964). Part mystery/part romance, this is the first book in the Schuyler Sisters series and my first Beatriz Williams novel. I look forward to the other two and more of Williams' work.

Amy

Nothing says summer reading like a big, thick pager turning novel that is enjoyable but not to provocative or complex. The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams fits those criteria and then some. Opening in 1964 when young Vivian Schuyler, recent Bryn Mawr graduate, has defied the wished of her privileged Fifth Avenue parents and taken a job and an apartment. Vivian is the very definition of a modern woman, not content to marry her way to her future she intends to live her life to the

Jamise

Historical fiction, romance, war, murder, adultery unexpected twists and turns... the perfect ingredients for a fantastic read!! I truly enjoy how this author makes the characters relevant and relatable, you either love or hate them. I equally enjoy how characters from previous books make subtle but meaningful appearances. Beatriz Williams never disappoints!

Sharon Huether

What a story! The brown leather suitcase is the center of attention. It belonged to Vivians Aunt Violet, before WWI 1914 while she was in Germany. The story weaves it mystery back and forth from 1914 to 1964. There are twists and turns, then the great escape. Loved the book. I've read another book by Beatriz Williams, it was very good so I knew this one would be too.

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The Secret Life of Violet Grant

The Secret Life of Violet Grant

The Secret Life of Violet Grant

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Reader Reviews