Clara Driscoll comes to life in this historical novel set in New York City between the 1890’s and 1908. The story, which is based on letters written by the real Clara to her family in Ohio, wrapped me in the world of leaded glass during the heyday of Tiffany lamp creation. Clara is a woman of creativity who plants herself in the realm of working men, when women were not seen as equals. I found the author’s work a rare glimpse into the striking contrast of life at the turn of the last century.
As the Civil War rages through the south, Cassius Howard, a carpenter and slave, risks everything to uncover the truth behind the murder of a freed black woman, Emoline, a beloved soul who taught him to read and once saved him. Pat Conroy describes Sweet Smoke as