{"product_id":"the-gilded-cage-sidney-s-stark-9780997523997","title":"The Gilded Cage","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Gilded Cage\u003c\/i\u003e, sequel to \u003ci\u003eCertain Libertie\u003c\/i\u003es, is immersed in historical currents of the mid 1800s. An intense family saga with the same memorable characters, while introducing a few new ones, \u003ci\u003eThe Gilded Cage\u003c\/i\u003e 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 War and the social turmoil that followed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Stark follows the fortunes of a talented violinist and her family into the tumults of Reconstruction in this sequel to \u003ci\u003eCertain Liberties\u003c\/i\u003e (2019) . . . 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.\" -\u003ci\u003e Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003eAuthor Interview\u003cb\u003eWhy do you write historical fiction?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI love exploring stories from another era so I can learn more about my own. It's fascinating to see how lives and events are shaped by the social mores and political confines of the times. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is this trilogy concerned with for the most part?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe impossible challenges for 19th Century women performers in music, and female violinists in particular; as well as dysfunctional families, betrayal and bravery, commitment and sacrifice, love and friendship, and the threat of technology as it races toward the industrial age. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy do you use some real people in with your fictitious characters?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe people who lived at that time add a grounding to put the reader squarely in the mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th. My readers have said they love learning more about history while enjoying the narrative and they look to my historical fiction to provide that. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy did you choose to write a trilogy starting in the mid-1800's and spanning three continents?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the Civil War to the ongoing European conflicts, and the striking advances of the Victorian era, the Trilogy spans an era arguably as dynamic as our current one. Covering that full timespan helps us to see our own in better perspective and is the best way to follow the full lives of the protagonists. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow did you choose your protagonists?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI didn't They chose me. It is often the way with authors who write character-driven fiction that they start to see and hear certain characters in their imagination without knowing why. My curiosity drew me to follow Corey de Koningh and Emily Alden around in their mansion on Upper Fifth Avenue in New York to discover what made them who they seemed to be. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor whom do you write?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlmost everybody, but certainly those who take an interest in learning more about history in a thoroughly exciting and enjoyable way. The books are meticulously researched and that makes them appeal even more to those who want to learn something new. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy does the research for your books make them appeal to so many disparate readers?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTheir factual foundation and sensitive handling of concerns paralleling those of our day affecting immigration, class discrimination, and gender bias, to name but a few, makes them appealing to a broad audience. And the knowledge that there was a time not long ago when playing the violin was considered to be appropriate only for men was a great place to begin the learning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Sidney S. Stark\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0997523999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780997523997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Momentum Ink Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/06\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 374\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.21lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.83d","brand":"Sidney S. Stark","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47425106116863,"sku":"9780997523997","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e995ba26-5944-4a04-9352-5139dcaeb47e.jpg?v=1761537052","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-gilded-cage-sidney-s-stark-9780997523997","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}