"A beautiful and triumphant novel in which a talented woman works to reconcile her sense of family loyalty with her fidelity to her own considerable gifts." —Foreword Review, starred review
Brilliantly talented Celia DeMille is a nineteenth-century concert artist who has garnered fame and sung all over the world. But prejudice bars her from achieving her place in history as one of the world's greatest singers, and she dies in poverty and obscurity.
In twenty-first-century New Orleans, Eden Malveaux, a thirty-something waitress with a beautiful but untutored voice, is the sole guardian of her seventeen-year-old brother. Eden struggled for years to make ends meet and protect her wayward brother. After a hurricane displaces them to New York City, Eden seeks safe refuge—not only from the ensuing flood, but also to hide her brother from the law.
When Eden receives a box containing a hundred-year-old scrapbook and a mysterious and valuable gold pendant necklace belonging to Celia DeMille, her life is forever altered. As Eden explores the artifacts of Celia DeMille's extraordinary life, curiosity grows into obsession, then into an inspiration that propels Eden into a world she never dreamed. But just as she is poised to make her mark on the world stage, her brother's dangerous choices catch up with them. To face the promise of her future, Eden must first reconcile years of regrets and leave behind the guilt of the past—and perhaps even the brother she loves.
"Uplifting . . . Story reveals a knack for natural dialogue and writes movingly, both about music and the devastation caused by Katrina." —The Dallas Morning News
"This truly is a novel that sings." —Booklist