About the book: 2021 / Noisy New York is left behind. Alice leaves work and follows her husband to a quiet suburb. And now she stands on the threshold of a big house, which she will very soon hate for her endless feeling of loneliness. But it wasn’t always like this. Nelly once lived here. She talked to roses, smoked strong cigarettes and read articles about saving a marriage, pouring cold lemonade into her glass. Years later, Alice would find her predecessor's cookbook, but the most valuable things would not be the recipes. “Brown did it! Fans of modern stories in the old-fashion style will read the novel in one day.” – Library Journal “This is a story about how patriarchy impacted women's lives in the 1950s and how it continues to do so today.” – Kirkus