The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann

Reviews

"The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann is a captivating and delicious novel.” —Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field

"An engrossing and empowering historical novel of liberation that reminds us, with deep resonance, of the many ways in which we are still not free."—Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men

"Virginia Pye has written a novel as full of vital ideas about truth, progress and how to live with intention as it is with wild romps and charming encounters." —Elizabeth Graver, author of Kantika

“Virginia Pye's novel invites us into a distant era that—in its depiction of the challenges faced by women of letters —seems hauntingly familiar. But Victoria Swann persists—and prevails! The story of her Undoing is generous, fierce, and inspiring." —Jennifer Finney Boylan, Co-author (with Jodi Picoult), MAD HONEY

"At once a historic time capsule and an entirely modern tale, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann had me cheering for its heroine straight through to the final page. You’ll love it!” —Katherine A. Sherbrooke, author of Leaving Coy’s Hill and The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly. 

"Filled with grace, charm, and an acute sense of place, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann shows us the power of stories to connect, heal, and reveal our hearts." —Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationary Shop & Together Tea.

"Delightful, fresh, and surprising, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann is a rollicking feminist tale that brings the Gilded Age vividly to life while exploring themes that are still strikingly relevant to women today." —Whitney Scharer, author of THE AGE OF LIGHT.

"The Literary Undoing Of Victoria Swann is a book lover’s delight - by turns hilarious and scathing in its cultural critique, this meticulously researched novel exposes the unseen and sometimes unsavory underbelly of Boston society and literary publishing. The adventures and dreams of Victoria, a brilliant and irreverent romance novelist from more than a century ago, will resonate with readers today." —Kerri Maher, international bestselling author of THE PARIS BOOKSELLER.

Author Biography

Virginia Pye’s story collection Shelf Life of Happiness won the 2019 IPPY Gold Medal for Short Fiction and her two historical novels set in China, Dreams of the Red Phoenix and River of Dust, also received literary awards. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She is Fiction Editor at Pangyrus and has taught writing at NYU, UPenn, and at GrubStreet Writing Center in Boston. www.virginiapye.com