"A mesmerizing tale of star-crossed love and of the dark secrets in a fracturing family . . . This novel is so full of wonders that it leaves you haunted, amazed, and, like every great read, irrevocably changed." -- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You The reclusive Harriet Wolf, revered author and family matriarch, has a final confession: a love story. Years after her death, as her family comes together one last time, the mystery of Harriet's life hangs in the balance. Does the truth lie in the rumored final book of the series that made Harriet a world-famous writer, or will her final confession be lost forever? Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders tells the moving story of the unforgettable Wolf women in four distinct voices: the mysterious Harriet, who, until now, has never revealed the secrets of her past; her fiery, overprotective daughter, Eleanor; and her two grown granddaughters -- Tilton, the fragile yet exuberant younger sister, who's become a housebound hermit, and Ruth, the older sister, who ran away at sixteen and never looked back. When Eleanor is hospitalized, Ruth decides it's time to do right by a pact she made with Tilton long ago: to return home and save her sister. Meanwhile, Harriet whispers her true life story to the reader. It's a story that spans the entire twentieth century and is filled with mobsters, outcasts, a lonesome lion, and a home for wayward women. It's also a tribute to her lifelong love of the boy she met at the Maryland School for Feeble-minded Children. Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders , Julianna Baggott's most sweeping and mesmerizing novel yet, offers a profound meditation on motherhood and sisterhood, as well as on the central importance of stories. It is a novel that affords its characters that rare chance we all long for -- the chance to reimagine the stories of our lives while there's still time. Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONEMicrosoftInternetExplorer4 8 NEW PAPERBACK BOOKS FOR THE BEACH -- Real Simple Praise for The Seventh Book of Wonders: "Family secrets make for ripe hunting grounds for novelists. In this evocative book, those secrets hide mystery after mystery, like a set of Russian nesting dolls . . . Baggott switches narrative perspective among the Wolf women as they struggle with their individual issues, and you'll grow to care for them all. No spoilers, but we'll say this: Baggott knows how and when to reveal answers for the ultimate emotional punch. "― Entertainment Weekly "Many things are hidden in Julianna Baggott's intricate, tenderhearted novel about a writer, her children, and a legacy of loss . . . The narrative Baggott has built might be described as a post-and-beam structure, a framework of sturdy supports locked into place with no nails, just fine, firm dovetail joints.Within it, the four women who make up Harriet's family alternately tell their stories, giving us a variety of perspectives on her 'gappy grasp of the world" . . . As distinctively twisted as these characters' lives are, they still touch our own in ways that can be unexpectedly playful . . . By the end of Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders , much comes out of hiding. Healing cascades down the generations. Harriet's 'truthful kind of lie' turns out to be a gift to her daughter [Eleanor] . . . Eleanor and her daughters will all find a new ending to their story, and remind Baggott's readers of a gorgeous truth: 'The world is astonishing, mainly because of its persistence.' " ― Dominique Browning, New York Times Book Review "[Recent] mania for literary treasures provides the perfect moment for Julianna Baggott's new novel, Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders . In a daring bit of whimsy, Baggott has imagined what it would be like to have written a phenomenally popular series, a collection of novels that everyone has read....the chapters narrated in Tilton's fairy-like voice are the novel's most interesting and creative. Baggott conveys her fragmentary understanding of what's happening as she responds to the literal meaning of everything anyone says to her. This is easy to get wrong; the risk of mocking a young woman with special needs is high here, but Baggott captures Tilton's oddness and charm with real affection. Hearing her internal voice, we can tell that she enjoys a rich imagination, seeded long ago be her famous grandmother.... As a novel about learning to love and forgive, Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders offers some sweet moments of reconciliation." ― Ron Charles , Washington Post "Some novels are a lot bigger inside than out. Case in point: Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders ....[which] signals a quantum leap....It took Baggott eighteen years to write, and that's believable. This sprawling tale covers the entire twentieth century and multiple literary styles. It is not dense, however, and it can be enjoyed by readers who know nothing of deconstruction or semiotics..