This Author Joy Callaway or the Publisher Harper Muse cannot make up its mind on this Title because when I requested it--it was called the "Greenbrier Resort," and that is how it appears on the Good Reads website. On Net Galley and displayed on the cover on it is called "The Grand Design," and that title appears on the books cover also on the Net Galley website. So it is quite confusing to me what the Title is. I had this happen to me in the past twice where I had to post two identical reviews for the same book. So my format is different and I also found the duel timelines frustrating in this publication in all honesty. It is a common way Author's tell the story, but in this one it didn't flow well.

The First Timeline takes place in 1908, a young well to do family along with a few recognizable ones are named but the main protagonist named Dorothy Tuckerman does not follow her family's choice for her to be married to. Instead she is infatuated with a young Italian race car driver named Enzo Rossi. The two of them sort of hint at romance but it struck me as the two were playing games. They are staying at a posh getaway called the Greenbrier resort, in West Virginia. It is described as palatial and with healing waters. The Taft family is staying there so you know its for the elite. There are many characters but after reading more I was able to understand who was who within all of the name dropping. Dorothy has been groomed and expected to choose a husband that she only feels friendship for. So there is that angst in the mood. I love historical fiction, but this was not for me and I'm really surprised considering it is an interesting premise. I just feel like the writing wasn't cohesive or engaging. But the premise was interesting but with the confusion in Titles is sort of how the execution of the storytelling was all over the place and it just wasn't for me. I wanted to love this but honestly I didn't. 2.5 stars!

The other timeline takes place at the same location only it is 1946 after World War II. Dorothy Draper the first Designer is tasked to restoring the Greenbrier resort back to its magnificence. Dorothy has just gotten divorced from her husband Dan who is a physician who has a new wife named Elisabeth who Dorothy is insecure that she will lose this job to Elisabeth. There is more name dropping such as Dorothy is handed a stack of mail and she chooses to read the one from Eleanor Roosevelt. It is mentioned that her husband Dan was a former physician to FDR. The resort is not anything like its former glory and Dorothy along with others are tasked to make it magnificent. It currently has lost all of its former glory and it was a field hospital during the war. So Dorothy as well as her team have their work cut out for them.

One reviewer compared this to the work of Alison Pataki, whose work is much more loved by me and I can easily compare because I recently read and reviewed her historical work called The Magnificent lives of Marjorie Post which my five star review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I found this to be in no way the same high quality writing. I am sorry but I do give a fair and *honest* review as my arrangement has been. I can't lie and say that I loved this when I found the writing to be disappointing. Don't get me wrong. I love historical fiction and I was so excited to read about a famous Designer that was ahead of her time. I just didn't love this and was disappointed, but I wanted to. I sincerely with heartfelt wishes for both Joy Callaway and Harper Muse to succeed with this tale of an Iconic strong woman, Dorothy Draper. I love the subject matter and premise. I am thrilled to see that other reviewers loved this more than I did.

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Joy Callaway and Harper Muse for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#The GreenbrierResort #TheGrandDesign #JoyCallaway #HarperMuse #NetGalley

I hardly know where to start on this review - this book goes through so many emotions. This one will stick with you a while after reading it! So well-written, the descriptions are amazing and you'll love the characters!

It's a dual-timeline historical set at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WVa. Before reading this book, I hadn't heard of the resort nor Dorothy Draper - but while reading it, I was brought to mind of The Grand Hotel in MI, and wasn't surprised when I later learned that was also decorated by DD.

FIrst section is set in 1908, with socialite Dorothy at age 19. This part of the story reminds me of the Dirty Dancing movie - rich, influential families spending every summer together playing games and betting on the ponies. Dorothy is bucking at tradition, she's looking for something different. In walks, Enzo - Italian racecar driver - and their romance beings. And oh, what a romance!

Second section is 1946, where Dorothy is hired to refurbish the resort, after it'd been used as a hospital. Her goal is to bring back the romance of her hayday at the resort, only in her style -- with lots of color and big, bold prints. But while there, she finds ghosts of seasons past and of loves lost.

Don't miss this one! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Dorothy Tuckerman is a member of an elite New York family residing in Tuxedo Park, sixty miles outside Manhattan. Since she was a little girl she's spent her summers at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia in the company of similarly privileged families. But the summer of 1908 was a turning point in her life and the last one there until the fall of 1946.

Joy Callaway alternates between the two time periods, contrasting the innocent young Dorothy with the Dorothy Draper, a divorcee, head of. her own interior decorating company, the one selected to refurbish the Greenbrier Resort now that it has been released by the military as a recuperation center. She faces innumerable challenges in her striving for perfection, and meets them all.

An insightful look at the life a a privileged young woman who surmounted personal and professional challenges to succeed in creating the Dorothy Draper and Company. in 1925. It is still creating designs for interiors under the direction of Carleton Varney, her personally chosen successor.

This is one of my most favorite novels EVER! I have visited the Greenbrier resort with my family a few times every year since I was born. Joy Callaway’s novel completely captured the Greenbrier’s magic! I felt like I was there participating in all of its exquisite traditions! The history of Dorothy Draper’s renovations were extremely interesting and enlightening. The history of the government’s secret bunker is absolutely amazing. Callaway lovingly depicted one of my favorite people, longtime cherished Greenbrier employee and ambassador Frank Mosley, as a fictional character. In real life, he greets, remembers, and hugs guests as they arrive at the resort. I can’t wait to visit the Greenbrier again soon and will look at it through the enchanting lens of this novel! I highly recommend that everyone read it. It is thoroughly insightful and enjoyable!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse Publishers, and Joy Callaway for the privilege to read this book.

A beautiful resort in the early 1900's where the rich, famous and powerful meet every season to hob knob with each other and discuss world events. Dorothy Tuckerman would spend her time at the Greenbrier with her family every year not just to vacation, but to see if she could fall in love true love. Yet Dorothy a very independent strong women hasn't found anyone to lose her heart to until Enzo appears. Love and passion engulf Dorothy, something she has never felt before. Until her father forbids this foolishness and puts a stop to this love and puts Dorothy in a position to live a life she never wanted.
Thirty -eight years later after WWII is coming to an end, Dorothy finds herself back at the Greenbrier to transform this beautiful resort back to the grand place that it once was. Bringing back the history it holds yet making it a place where people will enjoy themselves and hopefully keep the Greenbrier running for a very long time. Yet Dorothy has a problem, it is now the twentieth century things in the world have changed she has changed. She is a divorced women bring scandal to her family . She is also a working women opening an interior design company that she has given her all to. Now one of the biggest jobs has come to her at a time when her beloved company is hanging by a thread . Can she pull this designer's dream off? Can she prove to everyone that as a divorced women she will do anything to bring this wonderful place back to its original glory. Dorothy must face the her demons of not feeling worthy of this job especially when her ex husbands whife from a rival design company inserts herself. Can she do it and prove to society that a women can handle this job, and not just be your typical woman who must have a husband and home to prove her worth.
One other issue Dorothy encounters as she is works on the Greenbrier are memories . Memories of Enzo and the life they could have had if they were together. Would they have made it? Could she go againist her family and marry this man she relly didn;t know? Or is being at the Greenbrier just bringing back memories that haven't entered her mind in a long time.
This is a story of change. Change not only for a country, but for a woman who pushed the envelope of change. She went tor what she wanted even though society looked down on her choices. She fought for what she loved, and lost a bit of herself along the way. She sacrificed love, family and friends to get to this point. I loved the time period of this book. Joy Callaway writes of a time when a world was changing and yet many choice to stay in the old and not embrace the new. I love the character of Dorothy, Bold, courageous willing to fight for what she wanted.. Not afraid to take a bit of a loss along the way. Beautifully written, wonderful story .
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC and Joy Callaway for a wonderful read.

Thanks to Net galley for providing a copy of this ARC to me. This was set during the early 20th century, flipping back and forth to 1940s. Enter the world of the country's richest and most powerful families of the time. Though life seemed wonderful from the outside, all was not as it seemed. Mainly focusing on the groundbreaking life of the society girl, Dorothy Draper, who created the first interior decorating company, at a time few women owned their own companies. Though there was a lot of decorating details, which I feel could have been scaled back, this was an interesting read, based loosely on real events. Definitely recommend!

I wish to thank NetGalley and Harper Muse Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am so glad that I got accepted to read this one.

This is an amazing story and one that I knew I would love even before I turned the first page. I am a fan of the fabulous Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It is elegance at its best and its entire history is built on that fact. It is, and was, a gathering place for the rich and famous and later for the Bunkers hidden beneath it. I have visited the site and love the history. This book takes you through two specific times, one in 1908 and the other to the 1940’s. It begins with a young woman’s debutante season and beautifully describes the cottages, the natural beauty of the location and the sheer elegance of the hotel itself. It describes in great detail the fashions of the time and the interiors and customs of the place. This resort is one that has been a favorite of many Presidents, Titans of industry, entertainers, foreign dignitaries and so many others.

In the 1940’s this same young woman is now Dorothy Tuckerman Draper, America’s first female interior designer. She is commissioned with the task for redoing the design of a place that is near and dear to her. As she works room by room she reflects all her time there as a younger person.

This book is part history, part love stories, part imagination, while all the time weaving the story of the famous Greenbrier. I simply did not want to put it down and found it delightful. I felt a part of each of the scenes as though I was actually there. Weaving a story in two timelines while holding the attention of the reader is hard to do, but this author does it brilliantly. If you have never been there you should put it on your list of must see places. It is amazing. I highly recommend this book and this author. This is one story you will long remember. If you have been there you will experience it again through you own fond memories.

I liked that it was based on the real life of Dorothy, however I had a hard time getting into the book. It started out promising, but then jumped around in time so much, I was confused and found myself backtracking to find out where I was. If the time jumps weren't so confusing I would have given it four stars.

I had a hard time putting it down and read it in a few days. This was a great story, I like see how the characters circumstances influenced her choices with her work. I recommend you read this.

Dorothy Draper is the famed designer of Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV. Her design continues today with her protegee Carleton Varney. The book is a fictional account of her time at the Greenbrier as a guest as a 19 year old and again when she returns to renovate the resort in her 50s. Overall, it was an interesting description of the society summers in the early 1900s, and again with her design ideas during the renovation. However, the author dragged out the story too long and it was quite slow paced.

The Greenbrier Resort by Joy Callaway is a historical fiction based on the story of an iconic designer, Dorothy Draper. I will admit I read it twice! The story is told in two time periods. In 1908 she was known as Dorothy Tuckerman, a restless eighteen-year-old. The reader is brought back into Dorothy's life in the post war era of 1946 and later. Dorothy was a well-known socialite and her parents had certain expectations and encouraged her to marry her best friend since childhood. She loves Warren Abercrombie as her confidant and friend and they both refuse to give in to the pressures from Dorothy's father. Dorothy happens to meet an Italian race car driver during the weeklong Centennial festivities which were held at the glamourous Greenbrier Resort. She feels an incredible attraction to him, but knows he is not of the same social status as her family and would not be accepted.
Dorothy is a headstrong person and feels that her group of friends and parents live dull or boring lives. Dorothy sees their world as beige, and she wants a colorful life. She has a vibrant spirit and decides she will not comply with the life that her father had planned for her. She gives up her chance to marry Enzo and later marries Dan, a doctor her family approves of for her. Dorothy has two children with Dan, then a few years later he asks her for a divorce. She is scandalized among her circle of friends and leaves the area to make her own life and live her dreams of being the best designer of her day. She has confidence in her abilities and can be abrasive toward others.
There is so much I could write in this review, but the colorful ambition of Dorothy Draper propels her to keep her focus and she moves to the top of her field. She never forgets her love for Enzo and silently grieves his sudden death before she could contact him again. Dorothy's vision for renovating the Greenbrier Resort is vivid and bold. She meets obstacles as the project progresses. There is a bittersweet secret that shocks her after her work at the resort has been completed.
I enjoyed this book. There are so many emotions infused into the scenes.
Publication Date: May 17, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

3.75✩
Joy Callaway’s newest novel transports readers to the glamour, the glory and the unique decor of The Greenbrier landmark in West Virginia. Incredibly rich in details and romantic, the book is a captivating story presenting the early life and the career of famous decorator Dorothy Draper.

Callaway beautifully balances historical facts and events in addition to architecture and design elements in an engrossing and charming story. Following two timelines, the first in 1908 and the second in the 1940s, we are introduced to the confines of high society with immersive world-building, compelling characters and famous guests. The author delights us with surprises, art, fashion and architecture references, and political cameos.

It was my first time reading about The Greenbrier's expansive and fascinating story. I loved how Callaway brought the very resort to life as one of the main characters and great romances and how we were able to get a firsthand look at Dorothy Draper’s life through a lovely portrait of one of the most enchanting and independent women in her time. Some passages were a little tedious and repetitive to read, but overall, The Greenbrier was a pleasant read.

Sometimes while reading historical fiction accounts one discovers there is barely a whisper of history. Not so, this Greenbrier Resort. The main characters Dorothy Draper, who became a renowned interior designer, and The Greenbrier, a wonderful summer resort edifice which even presidents of the USA would be guests, were both very real. The Greenbrier still "lives" on to today, having withstood the winds of time since we are introduced in the story line of this book which begins in 1908. The time line actually straddles those earlier Victorian times, and into the 1940's. The Victorian society rules that strictly governed what women could and could not do certainly is portrayed and how it overshadowed and affected them unjustly, especially in the upper eschelons of old-wealth families.

What made this story perk along in a most intriquing, fictional manner was the unauthorized and unrequited cloak of romance between Dorothy and heart-throbbingly handsome Enzo, the Italian. Both were faint with love for each other but were torn apart; would they ever reunite?

For those interested in learning more about that earlier era and the history of Dorothy Draper, her magnificent interior design work and of her protege, Carleton Varney, there is a list of further recommended reading.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

January 2022

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own based on this copy.

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A little over five years ago, I spent New Year's Eve with a group of friends at The Greenbrier Resort. It is among the top trips in my life thus far, and the experience will always stay with me. From the décor of the hotel to the extravagant meals, underground bunker, elaborate grounds, and monumental history within its walls, I can't imagine a way to spend a better start to a new year. When I saw this book on NetGalley, I absolutely had to read it. Thankfully, I received an early copy and am keen to share my unbiased opinions in this review.

Historical fiction can be tough to write. So much of the detail must be precise, yet the story needs to have flair and drama in order to hook readers. I remembered much about the resort and Dorothy Draper, which was handled spectacularly, but I also learned immense more from this novel. Set in two time periods, just before World War 1 and the late 1940s, we meet a young Dorothy who's been promised to the son of a wealthy family friend. All the rich and famous, proper families summer at The Greenbrier, then known as White Sulphur Springs, and it's about coming out parties and politics. What a time period to have been part of!? I might've been born in the wrong century.

Dorothy and her pseudo-beau do not want to be married, but they love one another as friends. Then a race car driver from Italy arrives, and everything changes. In the 1940s, after World War Two, Dorothy returns, now divorced from a doctor (neither the original beau or the race car driver) and is given the gigantic task of redesigning The Greenbrier after it served as a war hospital and high-end prison for foreign diplomats. Her ex-husband's new wife is one of the decorators who might steal the job from Dorothy, and her kids have flocked to the new wife. Where did her life go wrong, she essentially asks?

Callaway does a wonderful job balancing the history and design elements of this special place. She uses facts and fiction to create a bright and curious story, allowing us to love and hate Dorothy's personality all at the same time. Much of the glory about the hotel is found in the details of this book, and I found myself eager to keep reading of the relationships, design ideas, and conflicts brewing in Dorothy's life. A side story with a long-time worker at the hotel adds the perfect sentimentality, and the hijinks of the girls from the early time period is charming. I found myself a bit overwhelmed in a few tedious details and monologue-like scenes, but mostly it flowed seamlessly. Easily 4.5 stars.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically. Having lived near The Greenbrier most of my life, it was fun to read this book. The artist has woven an entertaining story. The characters are likable and the story moves quickly. The past and the present…her present actually…the main character…and the men she loves…or the one man…decorating the Greenbrier…I liked this book…although I read it electronically, I will buy this book when it is published…a great delightful read…