This is an extraordinary novel about a couple that has long been associated with the lions of the post-WWI era in the arts. They are Sara and Gerald Murphy. Books have been written about them, many books have mentioned them and they served as inspiration for one of Scott Fitzgerald’s novels.

Mickelwaite has done a great job of thorough research, honing in on the more intimate aspects of the Murphy marriage. Sara is the narrator and brings the reader into the fascinating life the storied Murphy family. There is also a very timely glance into the ultimate sadness that she faced.

I loved this book, from the Hamptons to the Riviera. I was captivated by the relationships with so many of the people who defined the art world of the 20th century.

I really appreciated having the opportunity to read and delve into a unique era in cultural history. Thank you Netgalley.

This is a poignant and touching historical biographical book. The writing is so compelling. This follows the story of Sara. From sharing about growing up, making friends, describing class to life before and after marriage, author has shared all the highs and lows of life. The characters are fictional but the author has taken inspiration from real life characters. There is a mention of World War. I liked how Sara and Gerald become friends first and remain friends for eleven years and then they decide to marry. Despite disapproval from Sara’s family and all the hardships, they stay together. This is such a heart wrenching story and everything that happens in the story made me sad. I felt so deeply for Sara.

Thanks to the Publisher.

4.5

“The Ashtrays are Full and the Glasses are Empty” is a historical fiction book by Kirsten Mickelwait. This book tells the story of true life couple Sara and Gerald Murphy. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s okay (I had heard of them in passing before reading this book). The Murphys were part of the post-WWI art era (think Picasso). They not only hung out with famous people (literature, news, art, fashion) but also were famous in their own right. They are, to modern readers, known for “opening” up the French Riviera for summer pleasure (it had previously closed due to it being too warm in that part of France). I found the beginning of the book a bit slow (though Dorothy Parker’s appearance was fantastic) as Ms. Mickelwait gave Sara’s background, but the book picked up once Sara and Gerald married and their adventures together began.

Dreams of a more artistically satisfying life than the one she’d looked to be destined for finally seem to have been realized for discontented heiress Sara Wiborg when she meets and marries a man who shares her creative, aesthetic ideal only to have the dream dampened by the discovery that he is homosexual.
Not the total disaster that that might seem, though, with how the two really do love each other and he manages to keep his physical impulses in check, but it certainly takes the bloom off her initial hopes for their marriage as they make their way through the flamboyance and notable personages of the Jazz Age.
Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, Dos Passos, Picasso and the reliably acerbic Dorothy Parker (“the first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue”), they all turn up with regularity in Kirsten Mickelwait’s rendition of the period of excess and exuberance in the manner of Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast,” which is in fact cited in her book and with which, especially in its first half, it shares the not-always riveting nature of memoirs.
More novelistically satisfying, though (and the author does express fictional intent), is the book’s second half, where for all the tribulations visited upon the unfortunate couple, and there are not a few, including health tribulations suffered by both their boys, they do make for a more engrossing read.

I loved this story from the first page. Following Sara from the Gilded Age through the Jazz Age. Then tragedy hits her life. This is a new author to me and I look forward to more from her.

I’m happy to announce that Kirsten Mickelwait has renewed my faith in authors and books! With compelling writing, captivating characters, and one hell of a plot, “The Ashtrays are Full and the Glasses are Empty” has it all. Start with a young girl and young boy at the turn of the 20th century; sprinkle in some historic figures like Picasso, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald; add a dash of European locations and situations, and you have one hell of a treatise on how one’s perspective changes throughout the years, but not one’s soul. Ultimately, it’s a story about marriage and how the coupling goes from romantic to challenging to profound. Definitely, definitely worth the read!

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reading.
This is a poignant and touching historical biographical book. The writing is so compelling.
It's so hard to put into words how much I loved this book.
I never heard of them before, but it's simply amazing how Sarah and Gerald was written that I was instantly consumed by their thoughts and emotions.
This is a poignant and touching historical biographical book which I stumbled by accident, but I'm happy that I did, because story of Sara and Gerald would stay with me for long.

Though the pacing is slow at times, this gorgeously written novel offers a deeply compelling and emotional portrait of a woman ahead of her time. Set against the glittering backdrop of 1920s Paris and Antibes, the story follows heiress Sara Wiborg as she seeks a life of art, beauty, and meaning beyond the rigid confines of her privileged upbringing. Her marriage to Gerald Murphy, and their glamorous circle of literary and artistic icons, gives the novel its dazzle—but it’s Sara’s heartbreak, resilience, and quiet reinvention that linger. Poignant and unforgettable, this is a story of love, loss, and the creative spirit that endures even after the party ends.

Raised in New York at the beginning of the 20th century, Sara Wiborg is brought up in a wealthy family. However, she is dreaming of a much more interesting life being bored with the daily routine of the rich. After a friendship of 11 years she finally marries Gerald Murphy much to the dismay of both their families. She is 5 years older than him, but no matter as he is the one man that understands her, the one man that thinks creatively and offers her the life she has wished and dreamed for. On their journey together with their 3 children we are taken through the Jazz Age of the 1920's and 30's in Paris and Antibes. It was a time of decadent living. Sprinkled throughout that timeframe we meet those people who make up the heart of the bohemian lifestyle...Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, just to name a few. However, there are challenges ahead that the couple have to wade through...this is what makes the story interesting. Reading about the Jazz Age and the history of that era was one that I embraced...it was a singular time that we will not see again. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Köehler Books for the opportunity to read The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty by Kirsten Mickelwait.

I have held a long fascination for the Murphys, and this book feels like the cherry on top. I loved it.

I'm a sucker for books about Sara and Gerald Murphy, the legendary hosts of everyone who was anyone in 1920s Europe.

Kirsten Mickelwait's novel, The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty, focuses on Sara, an heiress completely uninterested in the life society has mapped out for her. She finds a kindred spirit in Gerald, who shares her restlessness. Together, they're determined to create the world they want to inhabit.

The book is arranged chronologically, and the early years proceed at a gallop. They spend idyllic days on the beach in the south of France surrounded by their three children and a dizzying cast of friends: Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Picasso, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Despite their friends' occasional bad behavior (or in the case of the Fitzgeralds, more than occasional), the Murphys are generous with artistic encouragement and financial support. Their mansion, Villa America, is home base for The Lost Generation.

It all comes crashing down, of course. The Depression makes their lavish lifestyle untenable. Tragedy strikes the family not once, but twice. Fitzgerald and eventually Hemingway turn on them, skewering them in Tender is the Night and A Moveable Feast.

At the heart of this novel is the question: Who were the Murphys, really? Spoiled, heedless children who used their wealth to collect famous friends? People of exquisite taste whose support enabled some of the greatest artists of the 20th century?

Did they -- as Hemingway suggested -- deserve all the bad things that came their way?

Mickelwait's portrait is sympathetic, but it also captures the nuance of this glittering couple. The Murphys were many things: perfectly suited, unhappily married, generous, foolish, kind, snobbish, glamorous, and ultimately, tragic.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

Book Review: The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty
by Kirsten Mickelwait

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Overview
Kirsten Mickelwait’s The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty is a vivid historical fiction novel that immerses readers in the decadence and turbulence of the Jazz Age, following the lives of Sara and her partner, a real-life couple whose story intertwines with the cultural upheavals of early 20th-century France. Mickelwait blends meticulous period detail with emotional depth, crafting a narrative that is as much about societal transformation as it is about personal resilience.

Themes and Content

The novel excels in:
-Historical Authenticity: The Jazz Age and expatriate life in France are rendered with rich, sensory prose—smoke-filled rooms, clinking glasses, and the bohemian chaos of the era feel palpable.
-Character Complexity: Sara’s journey from New York society to the heart of Parisian avant-garde circles is portrayed with nuance, exploring themes of identity, love, and disillusionment.
-Cultural Commentary: Mickelwait subtly critiques the gendered constraints and existential restlessness of the time, drawing parallels to modern struggles for autonomy.
-Narrative Pacing: The story balances introspective moments with lively vignettes of parties, artistic debates, and personal crises, though some transitions feel abrupt.

Writing Style and Structure
Mickelwait’s prose is lush and evocative, channeling the lyrical excesses of the period. Dialogue crackles with wit, and descriptions of settings (e.g., smoky cafés, dimly lit apartments) anchor the reader in the era. However, the nonlinear structure—while artistically ambitious—may challenge readers seeking a conventional plot arc.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:
-Atmospheric Mastery: The book’s greatest achievement is its immersive recreation of time and place.
-Emotional Resonance: Sara’s internal conflicts—between societal expectations and personal desires—are universally relatable.
-Originality: A lesser-explored facet of historical fiction, focusing on the interplay between art, love, and societal change.

Weaknesses:
-Pacing Irregularities: Some sections linger excessively on ambiance, slowing narrative momentum.
-Character Accessibility: Secondary characters occasionally blur together, lacking distinct voices.

Section Scoring Breakdown (0–5)
-Historical Depth: 5/5 – A standout portrayal of the Jazz Age.
-Character Development: 4/5 – Sara shines; supporting cast could be sharper.
-Prose Quality: 4.5/5 – Gorgeous but occasionally overwrought.
-Plot Cohesion: 3.5/5 – Nonlinear structure may disorient some readers.
-Thematic Impact: 4/5 – Timely themes, though subtlety borders on obscurity at times.

Final Verdict
The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty is a decadent, thought-provoking dive into a bygone era, perfect for readers who savor historical fiction with literary flair. While its structural quirks and pacing inconsistencies may frustrate those seeking tight plotting, Mickelwait’s ability to evoke the soul of the Jazz Age makes this a memorable read.

★★★★☆ (4/5) – A shimmering, if uneven, ode to lost loves and found freedom.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Kirsten Mickelwait, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.