From the author of The Beautiful American comes a richly imagined, beautifully written novel about historical figure Beatrix Farrand, one of the first female landscape architects.   Raised among wealth and privilege during America’s fabled Gilded Age, a niece of famous novelist Edith Wharton and a friend to literary great Henry James, Beatrix Farrand is expected to marry, and marry well. But as a young woman traveling through Europe with her mother and aunt, she already knows that gardens are her true passion.   How this highborn woman with unconventional views escapes the dictates of society to become the most celebrated female landscape designer in the country is the story of her unique determination to create beauty and serenity while remaining true to herself.   Beatrix’s journey begins at the age of twenty-three in the Borghese Gardens of Rome, where she meets beguiling Amerigo Massimo, an Italian gentleman of sensitivity and charm—a man unlike any she has known before.... Praise for  A Lady of Good Family “Reading one of Jeanne Mackin's historical novels is the next best thing to having a time machine at your disposal.  A Lady of Good Family  is so immersive, so captivating in its depiction of famed Gilded Age landscape architect Beatrix Farrand—niece of Edith Wharton and friend of Henry James -- that I devoured it in one sitting.”—Jennifer Robson, author of  After the War is Over  and Somewhere in France   “Mackin has taken an unusual approach to a fictionalized biography by relating the story through another story: that of her friend Daisy Winters, an associate of Edith Wharton and Henry James. This novel depicts the various stages of love through the dissimilar characters’ lives. The simple yet beautiful prose charms.”— RT Book Reviews Praise for  The Beautiful American “Readers will rank [it] right up there with  The Paris Wife …A brilliant, beautifully written literary masterpiece…”— New York Times  bestselling author Sandra Dallas “Will transport you to expat Paris…and from there take you on a journey through the complexities of a friendship…breathes new life into such luminaries as Man Ray, Picasso, and, of course, the titular character, Lee Miller, while at the same time offering up a wonderfully human and sympathetic protagonist in Nora Tours.”—Suzanne Rindell, author of  The Other Typist “Leaves its essence of love, loss, regret, and hope long after the novel concludes.”—Erika Robuck, author of  Fallen Beauty “Achingly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing… Sure to appeal to fans of Paula McLain's  The Paris Wife  and Erika Robuck's  Call Me Zelda , or indeed to anyone with a taste for impeccably researched and beautifully written historical fiction.”—Jennifer Robson, author of  Somewhere in France “An engaging and unforgettable novel. I couldn’t put it down.”—Renee Rosen, author of  Dollface "An exquisitely imagined and beautifully rendered story of the talented, tragic, gorgeous Lee Miller."—Becky E. Conekin, author of  Lee Miller in Fashion Jeanne Mackin is an award-winning author of historical novels, including The Beautiful American ,  The Frenchwoman , The Sweet By and By , Dreams of Empire , Queen's War , and  A Lady of Good Family . She lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York with her husband, artist Steve Poleskie. A Garden for First Meetings T his is the most difficult type of garden to design, since who can tell when first meetings will occur? However, if you are inclined to plan for the unforeseen, to hope for limitless possibility, I recommend a garden that includes elements of the romantic, the antique, and the implausible. The romantic element should include a series of intersecting winding paths, trails from which, at the beginning, one cannot see the ultimate destination but only guess at it. The gravel for these paths should be very fine and make only the slightest whisper of noise when walked upon. The antique element should include a small folly or casino, a shelter of some sort in which those meeting for the first time can find objects to feed their conversation. First meetings often involve a certain amount of shyness, diffidence, and anxiety. It is therefore helpful if the garden provides distraction. The implausible should include a plant growing out of place. I do not normally recommend such a thing. Plants, after all, know where they like to grow and do not like to grow. Roses do not like shade and ferns do not like direct sun. If, however, you can convince creeping speedwell to grow in one twist of the gravel path, this serves as a reminder to those meeting for the first time that life is full of uncertainty and unexpected happenings. Above all else, we must cherish the mystery. For plants I recommend pines as a backdrop, especially Roman umbrella pines if your climate will allow them. If not, a very small grove of Black Forest pines or, even better, pines from the Odenwald area of Germany, planted thickly. Flowers sh