What a fantastic read this book is. I was pulling for the characters the whole time I was reading. I was connected to the characters in ways that pulled me in and live their experiences with them. I felt the love, the passion, the pain, the indecisions and so much more while wanting to "help" them find their way. The story of family devotion and being there for each other no matter what is so strong. I love the parallel Camille Di Maio used between the building of Penn Station to the building of Vera's and Alice's lives, from beginning to end. This paragraph spoke to me, "The way of beauty. We are born shiny and new, and people marvel at us. How we smell. How we look. They celebrate when we take out first step. Fanfare all around. I remember when Penn Station was just like that. Angelo and I watched the opening ceremony from his newsstand together, and it was as magnificent as anything I've ever seen." Another quote from the story that I liked was, " Maybe we all have to find our cause-our purpose. The thing that makes us get up in the morning with our battle armor on." Life happens and choices are made in the story. Some of those choices are heart wrenching but in the end, they are the right ones. The way of beauty.....birth, life, death and maybe a fourth stage-renewal. I really liked the history that was not overbearing but enough that I learned new things. I am so thankful for the opportunity to read it. TY Lake Union, Netgalley, and Camille Di Maio!

This is a beautifully written, and must read story told in the perspective of two woman. The first half is told from Vera's life story. The history and beauty of New York City and Penn Station at the turn of the twentieth century gave me a lot of knowledge during that time, including the suffragette movement.
The second half of the book is told through her daughter Alice's perspective. Their lives and loves also make this book a wonderful romance story.
Do yourself a favor and read this delightful and informative five star book. You'll be very glad that you did!

The Way of Beauty is the third book I have read by Camille Di Maio and it is just as wonderful and beautifully written as the first two. The characters and story are so well developed that you feel like you are standing beside them. In the Way of Beauty I learned about the womens suffragette movement and some of the things they went through for womens rights. It was also interesting to learn about the building of Penn Station. The Way of Beauty is also a love story of two generations of women, the differences between the rich and the poor immigrants of that era, and about family. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then The Way of Beauty is a must read. Thank you to Camille Di Maio, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

I have been a fan of Camille Di Maio's writing ever since her debut, The Memory of Us: A Novel. With The Way of Beauty, she is now three for three with compelling and memorable novels.

The entire story was so beautifully written. I felt like I was inside Penn Station watching the characters interact. I could easily visualize them and feel what they were feeling. Both Vera and Alice's romantic conflicts were understandable and it was easy to sympathize with them. (I know many women who would gladly step into Alice's shoes.) Vera's situation was more complex, but definitely an emotional burden.

The Way of Beauty reminded me of the Sunfire romance novels I read during middle school, but on an adult level. I loved these books, so it is a good thing that Camille could re-create the feeling of reading them. There was even a story about the women's suffrage movement! (Laura). I felt like I was getting a history lesson without even realizing it.

The only concern I had was that the ending felt rushed, as time was sped up in the last chapter or so. However, that's only because I wanted the story to go on even longer, so I could spend more time with the characters!

I was recommending this novel when I was only halfway through, and now that I'm done, I recommend it even more!

Movie casting suggestions (which were hard to come up with, so I am only casting the younger versions. Characters can age the way they do on This is Us.)
Vera: Darcy Rose Byrnes
Angelo: John Patrick Amedori
Pearl: Elizabeth Debicki
Alice: Abby Ross
Emmett: Cayden Boyd

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for letting me read such a good book.

This book pulled me in from the very first page and did not let go. It was not disappointing in any way. Well written, great characters and oh the history. It was wonderful. The love stories, awesome. I felt like I was in NY and have never been out of AL. Union Station sounds like it would have been so much fun back then.

The love that Vera felt for Angelo was so beautiful. That she worked for Pearl and Angelo was brave in my opinion. Pearl was her friend and William, Pearl’s little boy, had Vera’s heart from the start. What will happen between Vera and Angelo? Between Pearl and Vera and Angelo?

Then there is Vera’s daughter, Alice. Will she live happily ever after with Emmett or William? Will she find the kind of love her parents did?

This was such a good story. I love reading a book where I learn things and this one was filled with a lot of history and love and a bit of sorrow. It was one that was so hard to put down. Camille Di Maio did a fantastic job writing this. I loved reading her Author’s Note at the end. It was very interesting to me. The whole book was just so good.

I wondered about the title until I read this: The way of beauty. We are born shiny and new, and people marvel at us. How we smell. How we look. They celebrate when we take our first step. Fanfare all around.
And perhaps the way of beauty was not a one, two, three process. Birth, life, death. Maybe there was a fourth stage-renewal.
Those two things from this book explained a lot to me about The Way of Beauty.

From women’s rights to tearing down and rebuilding. From birth to death. This book had so much. It was full of things that will make you smile, laugh, cry, envy, remember forever. At least it will for me.

I loved, The Memory of Us by this same author and look forward to reading more by her. This was a 5 star book as was The Memory of Us. I am so glad I had the honor of reading this great book. Thank you so much for writing it. I sure hated for it to end. But it ended as great as it started.

The Way of Beauty, a work of historical fiction, is the beautifully written story of love and family with Penn Station and New York City as the backdrop. A multi-generational tale detailing the lives of Vera and, in part two, her daughter Alice and how important Penn Station was to their lives. What will Vera do when she finds out the love of her life is engaged to another woman, Pearl Pilkington? And how will that ultimately lead Vera back to the man she loves? Find out the answer to these questions and more by picking up The Way of Beauty on its release date, May 1, 2018.

The Way Of Beauty is a thing of beauty. The writing is gorgeous, the story is engaging, the characters are amazing. The amount of research that goes into historical fiction just astounds me. Add this to your tbr!

4.5 stars

I received an ARC of "THE WAY OF BEAUTY" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Camille Di Maio for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a beautiful book about a time and place that I had little knowledge of at all. It was based in the early 1900's in NYC with the influx of immigrants from all over the world. The story spans from then through WWI, WWII, to the early 60's. I love that the two main protagonists are women. They are strong, beautiful, smart, and HUMAN women. Just lovely!!

My only complaint was that I would have loved MORE in this book as it was TOO short! The granddaughter would have been a GREAT third protagonist and I would have loved to learn more about her - maybe, a sequel?

The author has a lovely way with words and I love reading historical novels! Now, I need to go back and read her previous two books!!

Definite recommend!! It is a perfect read for celebrating spring!!

THE WAY OF BEAUTY is a terrific historical novel. The characters of Vera, Angelo, Pearl, Alice, William, and Emmett all ring true and Di Maio portrays both women and men with realistic complexity. The city of NY- and Penn Station in particular - is almost a character of its own. And it's beautifully rendered. The scope of this novel is broad but Di Maio maintains a steady grip on the plot so that the reader does not feel overwhelmed. Fans of love stories, coming of age stories, and historical stories will find much to love within these pages.

This lovely book is an ode to New York City and a bittersweet tribute to time and progress. It is set between the construction and descruction of Penn Station..

It tells parallel stories of Vera (in 1910) and her daughter, Alice (1940). Both women are involved in love triangles and face decisions that test their loyalty and their hearts.

Vera is involved on the periphery of the suffrage movement. She endures tragedy and makes heroic decisions that impact the people she loves.

Alice is growing up in a war time era. She is involved with two different men, one who harbors a secret. She is torn about which man to choose.

The stories are woven together and their choices and stories of earlier generations reach down to the next. Beautifully written. I highlighted so many passages about time and love. I also spent alot of time googling Penn Station. Very inspiring story!

Camille Di Maio’s books never fail to move me. Her talent for historical fiction has enraptured me from her very first book.

The Way of Beauty is no different. Starting at the turn of the century and then the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement, we follow the life of Vera, and later her daughter Alice, as they live and grow through these changing times. Choices they make and the lives they lead will have a butterfly effect that will shape them into the women they will become.

Taking place in the heart of New York City, the lives of these women are unsurprisingly relevant to issues women see today. To read and see these parallels was an experience I sincerely enjoyed, and The Way of Beauty is yet another beautiful work of fiction with elements of real history woven in. Another 5 star for di Maio.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are mine.

I’m probably going to gush, I loved this book that much! It is beautifully written and the characters become friends. I learned quite a bit about women’s right to vote and the consequences that went along with that. This story had it all, privilege, poverty, and the suffragette movement. This story made me want to learn more about the things written in it. There is everything in this story, love, friendship and family. I’ve never been to NY but the description of Penn station, at least what it was make me want to travel back in time to visit. I plan to buy this book for all my Mom, sister and all the readers in my circle. Wonderful book! I was given an early copy for an honest review. Thank you for the chance to read this wonderful book

Oh my! This book! There is so much to love about The Way of Beauty, from the beautiful cover to the amazing story on it's pages. Camille Di Maio has written a beautiful saga about hopes and dreams against the backdrop of New York's Penn Station. I felt as if I was in the story as I read the descriptions of Penn Station, the suffragettes and the differences in class distinction. I fell in love with Vera and Pearl and again with Will and Alice. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it ended! I would love to know how Libby's story unfolds!

"As a woman, it was hard to discover what you WANTED to be when the world told you what you were SUPPOSED to be."
A fantastic story of three women, spanning from 1900 to 1963, who work to change the rights of women across the country.
Pearl Pilkington's life mission was women's suffrage. She was outspoken and forceful, yet kind and gentle,and helped anyone in the world to better their life.
In 1912, Pearl and Vera meet under unusual conditions.
Vera, a young German girl and close friend of Pearl's husband Angelo, is offered to be in charge of Pearl's son, William. This will allow Pearl to continue on with her mission and provide for a steady income for Vera. This will also help Vera's family. Her father works as a sandhog, digging under the East River and her mother, a factory worker. They live across from Penn Station, where people can come and go from NYC. Vera knows every part of this station.
As times move forward, William is forced to return to the care of his Grandparents and Pearl and Angelo divorce. Vera and Angelo marry and their daughter Alice is born. Vera and Angelo have never forgotten William and always hope to reunite with him.
Alice, is similar to the lady that she has heard so much about and often wonders "what would Pearl do?" Her goal of attending college classes and to become an architect one day, is due to Pearl's missions. Alice has loved living by Penn Station and watching and wishing on dreams at this wonderful place.
The world has changed in the 1960's and as buildings with historic value age, and technology develops, the needs of the country change and the Penn Station of long ago was torn down in 1963.
"Our wrinkles tell our story, etched out like a road map. That's the way of beauty. Birth, middle age, decline."
The details in this beautifully written novel are incredible, making a review difficult.
It's an amazing book, that you will love!

I was thoroughly charmed by this cover and suspected I was going to love this book. I have a fondness for when an historical fiction book can teach about a landmark or place that you've been to and known about for years. Yet,you realize you've only scratched the surface with that knowledge. The story is two stories in one, that of German immigrant Vera Keller in turn of the century New York City and Vera's daughter Alice many years later. Their lives are tied to New York's Penn Station. Through the two lives the author illustrates the changing attitudes of the eras, but love of their family and romantic love they find is what keeps bound together. All opinions are my own.

Camille Di Maio is one of the freshest new voices in historical fiction, melding facts and fiction into heartfelt stories. New York City in the early 20th century is the backdrop for this wonderful story of love and family. The book centers around Vera and Alice, mother and daughter, who are both passionate women, driven by their dreams in a world that is ever-changing. The author did a great job of putting the reader into that setting, with the building of Penn Station, the suffragette movement, and the changing skyline and vibrancy of New York City.

This was an absolutely beautiful read from the beginning until the end. I was sad to see it end. From the early 1900's until the early 1960's, the story follows Vera and her daughter Alice. Vera is so very strong and brave. Vera is the daughter of German immigrants and their life is far from easy. This story is so wonderfully written you feel as if you are part of the story The descriptions are so beautiful you see everything clearly. It is a story of love, loss, friendships, and extremely strong women. This is a story that makes you think and as a woman makes you grateful for all the pain, suffering, and strength of the women who came before you! I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful book that tells the love stories of two women; mother Vera and daughter Alice.. It is very romantic and the characters are very likeable. It was hard to put down, I read it in a couple of days.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Way of Beauty from NetGalley and I couldn't wait to start reading. I loved both of Di Maio's previous novels and this one is equally wonderful and yet totally different from the others.

At its heart, this is a love story or really two separate love stories. The first section of the book follows Vera, a young German girl living near the newly built Penn station during World War I and the second section follows her daughter, Alice, still living in the same neighborhood during World War II. The stories are sandwiched by a prologue and epilogue in the early 1960's as Penn Station is being demolished to make way for Madison Square Garden.

Both Vera and Alice struggle with what it means to be a woman during their times in history and how to find a partner whom they love but also allows them to retain their individuality. The ups and downs of their romances are quirky and interesting and kept me turning the pages, but for me, Penn Station was the most unique and riveting character in the story. Though I lived in Manhattan for ten years, I never knew why the station is in the basement of MSG, and that there used to be a gorgeous above ground portion of the station as well. All of the characters in the novel have a connection to the grander and beauty of the former station, the majestic eagles watching over and protecting them from day to day.


When they learn of the slated demolition, Vera suggests that this is the "way of beauty," that when things lose their shiny newness, no one is interested any longer, but Alice, who studies architecture and has a fondness for historical buildings, argues that age actually makes things more valuable.

"That is exactly why I love old buildings. They have history. The things they've seen. A new building is an empty shell. Sure it's plumbing may run smoothly, but it has ever embraced a cheering crowd or housed a dramatic performance or sponsored a ghost?"

The true value of a place lies not in its outer appearance, but in its history and accumulated wisdom. The same could be said for the women in this story. As each of them ages and matures, they learn what is important and begin to prioritize the relationships and pastimes that truly fulfill them.

THE WAY OF BEAUTY by Camille Di Maio is a beautifully written work of historical fiction set in New York City from the early 1900s to 1963. It is a captivating story of love and family that spans several generations. The characters are well-developed and portrayed with a warmth and compassion that pulls the reader fully into their lives as if they are friends. Penn Station serves as a backdrop for the characters’ stories and I was fascinated by the details of its construction and ultimate demise. The author expertly weaves in many important historical and political events of the times such as the women’s movement to win the right to vote, the struggles of immigrant families, the disparity between the rich and poor, and the impact of the World Wars on the lives of all the city’s inhabitants. The vivid descriptions of the culture, architecture and history of the era made me feel that I was right there with the characters. I will not soon forget this emotional story of love, sacrifice and the unbreakable bonds of family and I highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this outstanding book.