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The House of Velvet and Glass

3.34 of 5 stars 3.34 · rating details · 3,016 ratings · 647 reviews

Katherine Howe, author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, returns with an entrancing historical novel set in Boston in 1915, where a young woman stands on the cusp of a new century, torn between loss and love, driven to seek answers in the depths of a crystal ball.

Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the T...more

Hardcover, 418 pages

Published April 10th 2012 by Voice/Hyperion

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Apr 20, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every now and again a novel comes along that has the power to bewitch and captivate, and The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe is just such a novel. Set in 1915 Boston, Sibyl Allston seems destined to be an old maid confined to managing her father’s home and living a careful life where little changes. Still reeling from the loss of her mother and her younger sister on the Titanic, Sibyl dutifully continues to meet with a medium in an attempt to contact her lost loved ones. Her father,...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Sherrie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-fiction

Quite possibly one of the most boring books I have ever read. The premise of the book was interesting, family still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their loved ones on the sinking of the Titanic. There is so much more depth that could have been added to this story but instead it was just pages of descriptions that added nothing to the story. I wanted to abandon this book but stuck it out to the end.

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Jun 11, 2012 Erika Robuck rated it 5 of 5 stars

“The girl was alone, but the windows reflected a dozen different angles of the back of her head and tops of her shoulders, as if she were guarded by an army of versions of herself, each one slightly different from the last.” Katherine Howe, THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS

THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS, by Katherine Howe, was published in April and is 432 pages. The publisher, Hyperion/Voice, sent me an advanced reading edition of the book. I loved Howe’s last novel, THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE...more “The girl was alone, but the windows reflected a dozen different angles of the back of her head and tops of her shoulders, as if she were guarded by an army of versions of herself, each one slightly different from the last.” Katherine Howe, THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS

THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS, by Katherine Howe, was published in April and is 432 pages. The publisher, Hyperion/Voice, sent me an advanced reading edition of the book. I loved Howe’s last novel, THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE, so I was really looking forward to this novel.

The story begins on the night of the Titanic’s sinking, and moves back and forth in time from the late 1800s in China to the early twentieth century in Boston. A wealthy mother and daughter die on the Titanic, leaving behind a fractured, grieving, dysfunctional family full of shocking secrets.

When we first meet Sybil Allston, a surviving daughter/sister, she is at a séance with other relatives of Titanic victims, hoping to connect with her dead mother and sister. She has a supernatural experience that both soothes her from her contact with the dead, and opens up a dark world of forbidden explorations and extra-normal experiences.

Her father, Lan, is an aged seaman with tremors and a haunted past, who loves his family, but who is often emotionally inaccessible to them. He and Sybil share a special bond because of their sensibility, and the way they seem to understand each other without lengthy conversation.

Sybil’s brother, Harlan, is a college drop out and drunk who ends up hospitalized after welching on a gambling debt. His near death experience turns up a woman of questionable reputation named Dovie, who the Allston’s take in to their house while Harlan recovers, and whose influence is not entirely positive.

The characters in THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS are clearly illustrated, realistic, and fascinating, as are their secrets, addictions, and the way their stories are woven together. From the final moments of the Titanic, to the opium dens of China and Boston, to the parlors of seers, THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS embroiders a rich text every bit as intriguing as its title. The multiple time periods and plot twists kept me reading late into the night, and I gasped aloud more than once when secrets were revealed.

If you enjoy literary mysteries with Poe-like settings and unique characters, you will love THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS.(less)

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Feb 01, 2013 thewanderingjew rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story begins in 1912, and then proceeds, in detail, for a period of about five years. Several times, it employs the use of interludes to move back in time, almost five decades, to 1868, to introduce the reader to Harlan Allston’s 17 year old incarnation, and foreshadows the things to come. The book improves as you read on, so don’t give up if it seems a bit slow in the beginning with the tedium of Boston propriety.
The Alston’s, a well to do family, live on Beacon Street, at a time when socia...more The story begins in 1912, and then proceeds, in detail, for a period of about five years. Several times, it employs the use of interludes to move back in time, almost five decades, to 1868, to introduce the reader to Harlan Allston’s 17 year old incarnation, and foreshadows the things to come. The book improves as you read on, so don’t give up if it seems a bit slow in the beginning with the tedium of Boston propriety.
The Alston’s, a well to do family, live on Beacon Street, at a time when social standing is de rigeur, and the marriage of a daughter was of prime concern. Spinsterhood was often mocked by people of the upper class. Presenting one’s child to the world, to find an appropriate mate, was a major undertaking.
Harlan Allston, made his fortune in the shipping industry. His wife, Helen, a good deal younger than he, had given up hopes for her elder daughter’s marriage. Sybil, a very proper young woman, had refused one marriage proposal and did not receive a second, from Benton Derby, the one she longed for, as he married someone else and moved to Italy. Helen decides to take her younger, more outspoken daughter, Eulah, on a trip to Europe to prepare her to enter society and find a suitable marriage mate. The whirlwind tour is a success and they are very happy when they make their return trip home, unaware of the tragedy to come, on the magnificent ill-fated ship, The Titanic.
The story is a romantic piece of historic fiction, and it covers many of the major events and issues of the time, including many real people that did exist, as well as characters made up from the author’s imagination. The sinking of the Titanic, illicit use of opiates and its addiction, the horrors of World War I, the cultural and political climate of the time, are all accurately portrayed. The lifestyle of the gentry is well described, illustrating their carriage and their demeanor, their attention to manners and proper decorum, coupled with the snobbism and prejudices of the day. The early belief in spiritualism and clairvoyance add to the storyline. We witness behavior patterns that go to the depths of depravity, and alternatively reach the heights of heroism. There is an interesting parrot Baiji, that is introduced at the beginning of the tale, in Shanghai, and makes additional appearances until the end, in Boston. It seems to symbolize change and progress, as the narrative moves forward. There is an Asian theme concerning opiates, threaded throughout the book, as well.
Ships and water are major themes, as is addiction and clairvoyance or second sight. The sinking of both The Titanic and The Lusitania are catalysts that move the story forward and mark momentous changes in the lives of the characters, moving the story toward its conclusion.
Katherine Howe writes with an easy to read prose, often injecting subtle humor and eloquently describes the grief and tragedy the character’s experience. Her characters feel as if they belong in the time of the book and you will easily recognize them and get to know them well. The introduction of ideas that are somewhat supernatural flows well and does not feel awkward. At the end, you will learn of the author’s connection to that time period. It would be helpful if the reader enjoyed delving into the supernatural a bit, especially with extra-sensory projection and/or psychic phenomenon, since they are major ideas presented in the book.
In my reading, I discovered that in the Chinese culture, the parrot symbolizes freedom and life. It is the bearer of good news, signifies change and wisdom and represents our hopes and ultimate goals. How we live our lives, long or short, is a very major theme of the book. Were we able to leave a permanent, positive mark on society, did we live the best life we could? Dovie, the unconventional girlfriend of Sybil’s brother Harlan, brings the circle of life full circle and explains how the characters have each made their own indelible mark on life.
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Oct 09, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is another good book by Ms. Howe. It is formulated much like her first one, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, in that she moves among time periods effortlessly. In Deliverance, I found myself wanting to stay in the past more than the future, but this one was smoother in its transitions and I found each of them a story unto itself.

We follow the Allston family, Lan, the father, Helen, the mother, and the three children, Sybil, Eulah, and Harlan. We first meet Helen and Eulah on the ill-fa...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Tara rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have to say I was not as impressed with this book as I was with The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. I had high hopes, but I found this story kind of fell flat. The romance too a bit took too long to even simmer.
Personally, I thought she took on too many story lines and so none of the story lines were very strong. What I loved about the other book I read by this author was the way I wanted to know what really happened and there was a sense that all was not like it seemed. This book promised...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-given-to-me-as-gifts, i-own, books-read-in-2012, fiction, historical-fiction, real-books, top-reads-of-2012

I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced and had an intriguing plot that made you want to continue reading to the end. In some places it was not what I expected, but having read this book I now understand the title and the way that it was constructed like it is. This is more than a story about coping with tragedy and moving on with your life, it is about the way grief affects different people in different ways, it is about a search for answers and finding the unexpected.

This book is well wo...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Ricki Treleaven rated it 5 of 5 stars

This week I read Katherine Howe's The House of Velvet and Glass. Howe also wrote one of my all-time favorite books, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. I almost dreaded reading The House of Velvet and Glass because I loved her first book so much, but I wasn't disappointed at all. I highly recommend both of these books, and I'm certain the The House of Velvet and Glass will make my Top Books of 2012 list.

Sibyl Allston is a late twenty-something Boston socialite in 1915. She is still grieving th...more This week I read Katherine Howe's The House of Velvet and Glass. Howe also wrote one of my all-time favorite books, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. I almost dreaded reading The House of Velvet and Glass because I loved her first book so much, but I wasn't disappointed at all. I highly recommend both of these books, and I'm certain the The House of Velvet and Glass will make my Top Books of 2012 list.

Sibyl Allston is a late twenty-something Boston socialite in 1915. She is still grieving the loss of her mother and sister, both of whom perished on Titanic's maiden voyage three years earlier. Sibyl runs her father's household in a wealthy Back Bay neighborhood, and spends time with a psychic medium named Madame Dee in hopes of contacting her dead family. She has very few invitations, as society has given up on her ever finding a husband at her "advanced" age. When her brother is expelled from Harvard under mysterious circumstances and befriends a quirky, artistic flapper, things start to unravel in the Allston household.

The flapper's name is Dovie Whistler, and she and Sibyl become fast friends. Dovie reminds Sibyl of her younger sister Eulah because she is so daring and outspoken. Dovie introduces Sibyl to a seedy side of Boston that Sibyl would have never discovered on her own. One of Sibyl's former beaux, Benton Darby, returns from Italy a widower and takes a psychology professorship in Harvard's new Social Ethics department. Darby wants to help Sibyl's brother Harley get reinstated at Harvard, and Sibyl needs Darby's help in solving a mystery. Darby and Sibyl realize they still have deep feelings for one another, and the skeptical Darby learns that some mysteries cannot be explained through science.

Whenever Sibyl visits campus, the new Widener Memorial Library looms over the quad. It's a constant reminder of the Titanic tragedy as Harry Widener, a prolific bibliophile, was on board and did not survive. His mother-- who did survive-- donated almost four million dollars for the library's construction.

Most of the story occurs during April and May of 1915, and the sinking of the Lusitania happened on May 7, 1915. Because the main story is bookended by these two tragedies, The House of Velvet and Glass is melancholy at best. This was such a pivotal time in American history with industrialization, spiritualism, and the Progressive era changing the country's psyche. Howe's attention to historical detail is remarkable.

This book's plot is practically perfect. It is interrupted with "Interludes" from the past: glimpses into Mr. Allston's time as a young sailer in Shanghai and Helen and Beulah Allston's last evening on the Titanic. At first, I was annoyed with these interludes because I was enjoying the main story. But the technique is genius because Howe ties all the pieces of the mystery together like a present: The ending is shocking and will engage the reader into thinking long and hard about fate (or Providence). Another plus about the book is its characters. They are all interesting, and I truly became intrigued with the family secrets, romance, and unexplainable magic in The House of Velvet and Glass. I hope it will make your summer reading list!
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Mar 01, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Howe's first book last year, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The beginning of The House of Velvet and Glass started off a bit slow but as Howe started adding more characters, I quickly became engrossed. The story centers around Sybil, a 28-year-old woman who society has written off as a spinster, living in Boston in 1915. Her mother and sister died on a voyage back from Europe on the Titanic where her mother had taken her younger sister (who had come out...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Gwen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Preferably I would give this novel one and a half stars. The premise, (young woman recovering from the loss of her mother and sister on the Titanic and trying to learn why her younger brother was expelled from Harvard in his senior year) while interesting, was far too ambitious and poorly executed by this author.

I just finished this last night and already find myself struggling to remember the heroine's name. The character development was nonexistent and the plot device of switching between 1915...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Audie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books

This book was a great improvement on Katherine Howe's first book - you could tell this was not a first time writer. Like Deliverance Dane, this book ties together multiple time eras (late 1880's China, Titanic and 1915) but this time she did it in such a marvelous way that it didn't give away the plot but really added to it. (This was my biggest complaint of Deliverance Dane)

The story itself is very good, but difficult to explain. When people would ask me what the book was about, I had a difficu...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Cynthia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ah cover art! That appealing temptress. I found myself looking back at it, to the promise it made of a story that would feed my long time (though admittedly low level) fascination with The Titanic. Really though, to my mind, this is a story about prognostication and future telling, set quite solidly and appealingly in early 19th Century Boston. The part of the story-weave I most wanted to read was that of the two women on the Titanic, but the author and editor cleverly interspersed these quite s...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Howe's book, The Physic Book of Deliverance Dane and expected to feel the same about this one given the reviews I read. However, it was a real disappointment - I almost didn't finish it. The characters were annoying and the writing style was awkward. You may feel differently, below is the review from Amazon:

Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued broth...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Cynthia Robertson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Warning: contains spoilers

I love an author who’s not afraid to kill off some of her good guys, and Katherine Howe kills off not one, not two, but three at the end of this novel. Yes, you will need that box of Kleenex, but don’t let that stop you from reading The House of Velvet and Glass. It’s a good cry and you’ll enjoy it.

The novels two main protagonists are Lannie, a young sailor visiting Shanghai for the first time during the middle of the 19th century, and his daughter Sybil, navigating the...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Kathleen Lenihan rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane was one of my favorite books the year it came it out. The plot was fast paced and original, and the characters so interesting and fleshed out. When I saw that the author had a second book coming out, I was excited and purchased it as soon as I saw it at the bookstore. Unfortunately, I did not find The House of Velvet and Glass nearly as gripping as Howe's first book. The story didn't really take off for me until at least 1/3 of the way through, and the charac...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Jill Furedy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Looking at the separate pieces of this story, I feel like I should have liked it better. But everything that had potential is either over or under explained to the point where it's hard to care. The author either bores me with too much info, or just leave it hanging but somehow without any sense of suspense. I read a long way into the book before I realized there wasn't any one thing driving the plot and o I found it hard to care...are we looking for a developing romance (for Sibylline, for Eula...more Looking at the separate pieces of this story, I feel like I should have liked it better. But everything that had potential is either over or under explained to the point where it's hard to care. The author either bores me with too much info, or just leave it hanging but somehow without any sense of suspense. I read a long way into the book before I realized there wasn't any one thing driving the plot and o I found it hard to care...are we looking for a developing romance (for Sibylline, for Eulah, for Harlan?) for a supernatural revelation, for family conflict and resolution?
So many parts of the story made me think "this is where it will get interesting", but it never really did. I'm not big on the Titanic, but I liked Helen and Eulah. Not sure why the author tried to get in a big "reveal moment " when the name of the ship they are on is mentioned...that was in the dust jacket description, we all knew where they were. They only showed up a few times though, and while I didn't need to see them die, I did think their story would connect better to the main storyline. The history of Lan as a sailor on shore leave in Singapore, seemed cliche...brothels, fistfights, and opium, but knowing from his family who Lan appears to be in adulthood, I was curious to see how it played out. We see the beginnings of the psychic story here, but otherwise don't learn much about Lan. Harlan's injured condition in the first chapters seems like it will have an exciting backstory, especially with the appearance of Dovie. Unfortunately, we did know the cause of it after all and it's not exciting nor did Dovie need to be involved. Dovie, I liked, with her mysterious background and her attitude, but those too, once explained, are rather boring and Dovie loses her appeal as the book goes on. Harlan I basically wrote off as a stock character in the beginning, but by the end I liked him a bit better than I expected to. Betty is introduced, is given some small scenes that again could have been made into something intriguing, but then disappears. Sibyll started off boring and gullible, she's attending seances, which isn't as interesting as you'd hope, dealing with an apparent eating disorder, which seems like it should become an issue but only resurfaces on occasion, and then she's introduced to opium. This offers the basic plot twist that I would call a surprise, except nothing about the book felt surprising to me. Everything seemed to build up so slowly and quietly, that the few plot twists that do appear seem anticlimatic. Since she at one point had a couple of suitors, I assume there must be something appealing about Sybill, but I never saw it. Not sure why Benton liked her, not entirely sure why he left her for someone else (it's brushed off in a sentence, and never looked back on by way of explanation). I liked Benton and Edwin, and come to think of it, they might be the only two that I didn't wind up disappointed in.
I wanted to like this one, based on all the potentially fascinating elements, but it just didn't fully deliver on any of them. I think this one will be much too quickly forgotten.(less)

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Jun 20, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved it! This second book by Katherine Howe following the New York Times bestseller, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, is a historical novel set in 1915 Boston. Sibyl Allston is still reeling from the deaths of her mother and younger sister from the sinking of the Titanic snd has turned to a medium her mother used to try and contact her dead relatives to find solace. When her brother gets kicked out of Harvard, she turns to an old flame who now teaches at the school to help. She controls...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Luanne Ollivier rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5/5

The House of Velvet and Glass is Katherine Howe's latest release, following her hugely successful first book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.

Sybil Allston is keeping house for her father in 1915 Boston. Her mother and sister perished on the Titanic three years earlier. She's never really accepted or gotten over their deaths and has been seeking answers and solace from mediums and the spirit world. Sybil is not the only one in her family struggling with life. Her father has escaped int...more 3.5/5

The House of Velvet and Glass is Katherine Howe's latest release, following her hugely successful first book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.

Sybil Allston is keeping house for her father in 1915 Boston. Her mother and sister perished on the Titanic three years earlier. She's never really accepted or gotten over their deaths and has been seeking answers and solace from mediums and the spirit world. Sybil is not the only one in her family struggling with life. Her father has escaped into running his business, her brother has dropped out of Harvard and taken up with an actress. It is the actress, Dovie, who shakes up and wakes up the remaining members of the Allston family. She introduces Sybil to the pleasures of opium.....and Sybil is sure she can see the final hours of her mother and sister in a scrying glass when she is in the arms of the opium pipe...

Howe has delivered another rich period piece, filled with many details that bring the Boston Brahmins, social life and mores of the times to life. Interspersed with Sybil's story are 'interludes' that give us a window into Eulah and her mother's final hours on the Titanic. I have to say, it is Eulah and the interludes I enjoyed the most. Eulah as a character drew me to her more that Sybil. Eulah is full of life and brashness and spirit. She embraces life, as short as hers will be. Sybil is equally well drawn, but life has taken on a different mien with her loss. I did come to appreciate her more as the book progressed.

I chose to listen to this book. The reader was Heather Corrigan. At first, I thought her voice was too young and sweet to tell this story, but quickly realized that that is exactly the tone to tell Sybil's story. Corrigan has a light voice, enunciates well and is easy to listen to.

The House of Velvet and Glass is not a fast read,rather it is a slow, measured building towards an unexpected revelation.The last third of the book moves along quite quickly, including another setting and more from one character that I been had expecting.

Howe has crafted another unique offering that will appeal to historical fiction fans. I enjoyed the book, but personally prefer something that moves along a little faster.(less)

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Jun 15, 2012 Albert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Katherine Howe, whose first work was the excellant novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, has delivered another wonderfully written novel in The House of Velvet and Glass. There is definite growth in the skill and storytelling and the novel moves effortlessly, capturing the time and pain of an American tragedy and the people it holds in its clutches.
It is the story of the Allston family, an affluent New England dynasty whose future and past collide on a fateful dark night in the Atlantic. T...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Sofia Wren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Katherine Howe blew me away with her first book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. It hit number two on the New York Time's Bestsellers. Her first book weaves together modern story, scholarly research and fictional eighteenth-century documents. Impressed by the research, beautiful prose and themes of her first novel, I set into The House of Velvet and Glass as soon as I could.

The House of Velvet and Glass follows the Boston-based Allston family as they grapple with their fates. Pieces of th...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Jill Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff, fantasy

I don't like books about spiritualists, I am sick of stories about the Titanic, and I was underimpressed with Howe's first book.

And yet: I was charmed by this one. The spiritualism was not quite the issue I thought it would be, (view spoiler)

The story has a few timelines that tie together in a surprising way (it isn't, of course, surprising that they tie t...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Joanne Moyer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, supernatural-magic, titanic

I liked this book but I didn't love it .... I think it was just not what I expected, but it was still a good and enjoyable story.

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May 01, 2012 Connie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was superb. I stayed up all night to finish it; I was so riveted by the story that I could not even consider sleep. While one of the themes in this book is the sinking of the Titanic (there are many out now due to the 100th anniversary), there were many more equally important themes including: Spiritualism, World War I, Addiction issues with opium and morphine; Women's rights, Philosphies of life and death, the Progressive era, Family dynamics, the Shipping trade, and even old-fashione...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Rachel Hyman rated it 5 of 5 stars

The House of Velvet and Glass began slowly, in a time of mourning. I was struck by the quiet, empty house, the attention to keen details - this sense of being transported existed through the whole book, like the first few chapters built the time period before the figures themselves were struck alive.

The stories woven through the book were beautiful, and the weaving gave a pleasant rocking, like balancing on a boat in calm waters. There were love sagas that crossed class and age; violent stories...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Rose Mary Achey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sybil’s mother and sister were among the Titanic victims. Living with her father, an old sea merchant, and her wayward brother, Harlan, Sybil attempts to grieve and keep the remaining family together in a Beacon street Boston Townhouse.

Each of the family members deals with the grief in a very different manner. Harlan was recently expelled from Harvard and is found betting away his fortunes at the card table in the company of Dovie, an actress from the West, scandalous! The Captain turns inward,...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Marlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally published at http://www.readingreality.net/2012/04...

The House of Velvet and Glass is Katherine Howe's second novel, after her fantastic breakout debut, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Both stories have a certain magic in them.

While Dane's story was about the practice of witchcraft, Sybil Allison, the character who provides our entree into The House of Velvet and Glass, is interested in spiritualism. Sybil's usually practical nature has found refuge in the search for contact wit...more Originally published at http://www.readingreality.net/2012/04...

The House of Velvet and Glass is Katherine Howe's second novel, after her fantastic breakout debut, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Both stories have a certain magic in them.

While Dane's story was about the practice of witchcraft, Sybil Allison, the character who provides our entree into The House of Velvet and Glass, is interested in spiritualism. Sybil's usually practical nature has found refuge in the search for contact with her loved ones who have passed "beyond the veil". She was not alone in her search in the upper class of Boston of 1915, or anywhere for that matter. Spiritualism was very popular.

But membership in the seance that Sybil attended was special. Everyone in that select group lost a loved one at the same place and time: on April 15, 1912, in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, when the RMS Titanic sank on her maiden voyage. Sybil's mother and younger sister were among the 1,517 dead.

Sybil now runs the house for her father and her younger brother, but life has lost its spark for all of them. By returning to the same medium that her mother used to visit, Sybil searches for reassurance that her mother's spirit has found peace somewhere, while Sybil has none of her own.

In the real world of 1915, three years after the disaster, the Allston family is drifting apart, Sybil to spiritualism, her father to his shipping business, and her brother Harley to dissipation and ruin.

Harley's dissipation leads him to a severe beating and hospitalization. as well as a discovery of how far he's fallen, and who he's fallen with. He's been thrown out of Harvard, and has taken up with a young actress. In the wake of his injuries, his young lady is brought into the house, and Dovie shakes everyone back to life.

Sibyl takes Dovie under her wing; she fills the space in her heart left by her younger sister. And Dovie takes Sybil to places Sybil might never have otherwise gone, and she does things that she might otherwise not have done. The actress takes her to smoke opium one fine afternoon, and Sybil discovers that, with the help of the opium, she can see the last night on the Titanic, or so she believes.

Her friend Benton Derby is sure she's just fooling herself. He is a psychologist, he doesn't believe in spiritualism. His colleague, Edwin Friend, on the other hand, believes that spiritualism might have a scientific basis. Even though Professors Derby and Friend expose Sybil's medium as a fraud, Dr. Friend still believes spiritualism might be real.

But it is 1915, and there is a war in Europe. Whether or not spiritualism is real is about to become the least of anyone's problems in the U.S.

Just as there are three living people in the Allston family, the story of The House of Velvet and Glass is told in three separate threads. The major thread is Sybil's story, in the present of 1915. The second thread takes place on the Titanic, on the last night, as Helen and Eulah Allston while away the last evening of their lives, not knowing until the very end that it was all about to go smash. And finally, the third thread is the story of Lan Allston, Sybil's father, from his days at sea. His story ties everything together in a way that will break your heart.

Escape Rating B+: The story takes a little while to really get going, but the end races along. The last bit, I didn't quite expect and should have. Also, I assumed that the House of Velvet and Glass referred to was the Titanic, but it's not. I like it when an author surprises me.(less)

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Apr 10, 2012 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

What’s left of the Allston family of Boston’s Back Bay is still reeling from the loss of Matriarch Helen and youngest child Eulah who had the misfortune of being on the Titanic. Each remaining member is dealing with the loss and going about life in their own way. Sybil, the oldest has taken over running the house and furthering her spinster lifestyle, but it’s in the séance parlor of Miss Dee where she finds the most solace and closest to her lost family as she deals with the guilt she can’t see...more What’s left of the Allston family of Boston’s Back Bay is still reeling from the loss of Matriarch Helen and youngest child Eulah who had the misfortune of being on the Titanic. Each remaining member is dealing with the loss and going about life in their own way. Sybil, the oldest has taken over running the house and furthering her spinster lifestyle, but it’s in the séance parlor of Miss Dee where she finds the most solace and closest to her lost family as she deals with the guilt she can’t seem to shed and knows that speaking of it to her stoic father Captain Lan Allston does no good. In the midst of all this it seems her younger brother Harlan has gotten himself kicked out of school, returned home only to get into deeper trouble. The troubles with Harlan also brings back an old family friend of the Allston’s, Benton Derby who was once much more to Sybil than just a friend and who is now in the position as a professor to help Harlan back in the classroom and out of trouble, but the complications continue as Harlan’s paramour Dovie arrives on the scene. Sybil joins forces with Ben to help her wayward brother but also turns to her faith in the occult for succor which has she and Ben butting heads. And as they seek answers journeying through the mystical psychic world they find only more questions and deeper puzzles, and some of those puzzles are leading back to a deep dark family secret.
Katherine Howe burst on the literary scene with her debut novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and now brings us another blockbuster in The House of Velvet and Glass. She took me on board the Titanic, through the streets of Shanghai and the elegant and eclectic Boston of early 20th century America and as she did so I could see in my mind’s eye the scenes, the people and the happenings around them. As she spun her tale of misfortune and of catastrophe she showed me also the lengths that we will go to find comfort, she showed me the strength it takes to go on in the light of loss and she once again went into the preternatural world and did it with aplomb. She introduced me to some amazing characters that will stay with me for a long time with Sybil, Ben and the Captain leading the cast but not foreshadowing her co-stars, Harlan and Dovie and finally her cameo appearances by Helen and Eulah and we can’t forget Baiji. Her narrative is all reminiscent of the era she’s portraying and done beautifully and vividly expressive with such attention to detail that her research is obvious not only in the industrial miracles of the times but also the costume and attitudes brought out in her characters. And finally this is a love story, of familial love and romantic love, it’s a story of the right thing to do in the face of opposition and the love of oneself.
If you’re a fan of historical literature, family drama, or just a great story this is a novel you should read. If you like just a little woo-woo with your big dose of reality you’ll also find what you’re looking for between the pages of this novel.
Check out my Q&A with author Katherine Howe here http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/...

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Mar 17, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not feeling eloquent enough to give this novel the proper review it deserves. I liked it very much, in some ways more than I expected and in other ways less. I loved the historical setting (both pre-WWI well-to-do Boston and the flashback interludes to the Titanic & the exotic, disorienting back-alleys of 1868 Shanghai) and the detailed writing that made it come to life. I've always been fascinated with the spiritualist movement and early attempts by scientists, psychologists & socio...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Becky Haase rated it 5 of 5 stars

an upper class look at the early 20th century
I really enjoyed this book. After a slow start and getting used to the jumps in place and time, I found House of Velvet and Glass to be a compelling look at the early 20th century. A book group would find the drug use (opium), the early psychology/sociology instances, the expectations for men and women, dress and table manners, and the social class divide/discrimination would all make good topics for discussion. I found the characters believable and t...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Nicole rated it 1 of 5 stars

If we didn't pick this historical fiction novel for book club, I definitely wouldn't have finished it. I didn't like the plot, but I really didn't like the author's writing style. She often had a character ask a question, then think about something in the past. The flashback included dialogue, so it was jarring when the dialogue suddenly switched back to the current scene and the answer to the original question. Also, because it was the end of the Victorian era, no one actually answered each oth...more

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About Katherine Howe

Katherine Howe was born in Houston, Texas, and received a degree in art history and philosophy from Columbia. She is completing a PhD in American and New England Studies at Boston University, which included teaching a research seminar on New England witchcraft. The idea for her first novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, developed while she was studying for her doctoral qualifying exams, wa...more

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