SOLVED. Girl hired to photograph collection on island, falls for caretaker of house. back in city by means of his artshow she finds out the caretaker is really the artist/owner [s]

[J]

fiction written before 80's
girl hired to photograph collection on island, falls for caretaker of house. back in city by means of his artshow she finds out the caretaker is really the artist/owner. he was using middlename or switching around the letters or something like that.
our house burnt with all my books. driving me nuts trying to recall this one.HELP

[Heather]

Was there a wheelchair involved?

[J]

Wow, somebody read MY post! too bad there was no wheelchair in the story. this book was kind-of short, no sex or swearing. there was a storm that kept her stranded on the island very briefly. there was some episode of going into the basement with no lights and nearly falling to her death. there was a young guy who toted her back and forth to the island that was a flirt. she made friends with an older rich lady who lived on a near-by island and she would boat over there for tea sometimes. when she returns to the city after the job is finished, she again hangs out with this older lady in the city, and I think even the flirty guy shows up. the book ends with her having to deliver a paticular painting back to the artist, which she has a bit of difficulty doing because another woman who is interested in the artist tries to take it instead. the main guy it seems was partly by the name of Bart or Nat. since he was using a fake name part of the book, I can't remember if that's the real which you get later, or the fake which you begin with.

[Mir]

J, I'm really sorry about the loss of your home! I hope you get lots of good books.

[Lisa]

J, I hope you find this book and all others too. Fire is one of my big fears. I've lost many books also but due to other circumstances. Sometimes it takes a long time but this group's members have a good track record of finding books.

[J]

Thanks Lisa and Miriam! Book replacement moving slowly along(I'm in love with all Easton press volumes). Glad to know people are still trying to look up this one for me. I tried worldcat and lib of cong but no success.
This book opens with her glad to be going out of he city for awhile. She has just ended a relationship with a longtime boyfriend who wanted sex without marriage. She was disappointed that he turned out to be so shallow. Since it is not a period book, that makes my memory think it was older.
As she goes about her assignment of photographing the valuables in the mansion on the island she is really upset to discover some guy in the house which she thought she'd be working in alone. He appears to live on the top floor and she assumes he is the caretaker and he lets her believe that he is.
During one period where they are getting along (which usually they didn't) he takes her out on a boat for dinner down the coast (for lobsters I think it was).
Back in the city when she gets an assignment to arrange an art show, by some famous artist's request, although she thought she'd never met him; somehow right before or during the show she finds out it is the guy from that island. It is the very end of the book when he explains at his other house(not the island, I don't think we ever go there again)that his intentions are honorable and how he decided on the fake name which is also partly his real name.
Oh, there was also a scene in which they are still on the island I think during the power outage section, and they have to go in the basement and she almost falls into some hole but he of course has to save her life. Maybe I already put that part in here somewhere?

[Lisa]

J, Never give up. I'm hoping it takes nowhere near as long for you to find this book, but this group took months to find one book for me and over a year to find another. Of all the books I've asked for help finding, only one still remains unfound.

[Mir]

If you think this would be categorized as romance you might also try posting on the Smart Bitches site -- there's a category called "Help a Bitch Out".

[J]

Thanks for the tips. Even if we never find it, at least I've gotten several new titles to read from watching other people's searches in this discussion. Maybe I'll even see one that I could answer for another searcher, which is almost as good as solving my own. Yes Lisa I would probably call it a romance, just more in the 50s era category.

[J]

I hope this is this correct way to give my book a "bump". Still hoping someone recognizes it. thanks

[Lisa]

J wrote: "I hope this is this correct way to give my book a "bump". Still hoping someone recognizes it. thanks"

J, Exactly the right thing to do! Good luck! Bump it up as many times as you'd like. (Somebody just found a book for me 2 1/2 years after I first posted! Ya never know.)

[J]

hoping some of our new members will read the previous postings about my book and know the title. take a look everybody! thanks.

[J]

I think she may have worked for a famous museum in a top position, if I am not mixing that up from another book. and when she is back in the city the wealthy lady takes her to a play or opera and she dresses up all fancy in I think green. she also has parents that she goes to visit at some point in the story, it seems like they were disappointed in her career-over-marriage life, if I recall correctly. trying to think of everything possible SO SOMEONE CAN SOLVE THIS! please :) today...okay tommorrow is good for me too.

[J]

ooh, another tiny detail; It feels like a 1950 book because at her hotel in the beginning of the book she takes herself to dinner and her choice of outfit was some sort of dress in chiffon, yellow I think. but this detail could take the book even into the 70's right? because it seems in her reflections about her chastity that she may have mentioned that she felt old fashioned in her attitude.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Hum, could also be set in the 20's/30's since that time period also had a lot of more "sexually active" people and women breaking into the workforce.

I have no idea what this book is, but when you find out, I indend to read it. :o)

[Kate]

Could it be an Alison Lurie novel? She writes a lot about artists and Cape Cod and I seem to remember one about an island and a lighthouse...? Just throwing that out there.

[J]

THANKS for reading my post! I am trying to reflect on what memories of the book are giving me the feeling that 20/30s is too far back. It could be becuase of the photog gear she toted across to the island, lighting and so forth. Or the car she drove from the city to the the coast town, which I am pretty sure the name was specifically mentioned but I forget it now. Or that it seemed to her that being a girl who wasn't sleeping around was already a rarity by that time; as if there had already been a generation or 2 of such that had gone by. A thought not to do with guessing the time period; I think the artist was angry with her being on the island not just because she was there (as we realize later he would have known he had hired someone to cataloug his treasures) but because he did not want to be attracted to her, having some previous female hurt his feelings. He had assumed a man would be doing the work. And I also vaguely recall that the reason for taking stock of all his goods was a mention that the mansion might be opened up for trours or a hotel type of thing.
One of the mornings when she went to get her little boat ride over to the island the flirty guy who usually took her (whose name may be Paul?) was not on duty but another old guy was taking her. at some point they are telling us that there is a very bad storm brewing and he thinks they should turn around... she of course is very stubborn and makes him finish taking and leave her there anyway, like her last day to finish it up or something transparent, where as a reader you KNOW she will be stranded and isolated there will be less work happening and more confrontation instead between her and Bart/Nat. This was probably the night of the power outage and basement fall.

[J]

there wasn't really a lighthouse, unless that was what the wealthy old lady was living in. But either way I'll go look the author up gladly to see.

[J]

By the way, it didn't seem to be anything by Alison Lurie, but thanks for the suggestion. Any more ideas anyone? I originally bought this book at Goodwill, I always check the bookshelves hoping by some weird chance I'll find it there again :)

[J]

bumping up my bookquest for my two year anniversary of unsuccessful searching :) Any new folks care to give it a try?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Wow J--has it really been 2 years?

[J]

Yeah, I began here in June of 2009. But meanwhile I've gotten some great reads through other people's searching success, and enjoyed the book swap. Once in awhile I know the name of one being searched for by others, which is fun too. But I found this site originally because I was searching for a way to get the title of this book. It may happen yet :)

[Lisa]

J, It may. Two books were found for me after about 2 years. Keep bumping if needed. I hope someone will figure out what book you're searching for!

[J]

any newcomers know my book (bump)?

[J]

**bump**

[Suzanne]

I have this book at home hopefully! I can not remember the name of it at all but the plot is what I remembered, except I had him as an author but will see if I can find it tonight for ya.

[J]

I can hardly wait...please let it be the same one I've been looking for!!!!

[Suzanne]

Ugh I can't find it anywhere! I remember doing a book clean out a little while back and it must have been in there. Will try again this weekend, sorry about that. Can you remember what country it was set in?

[J]

for sure it was USA. When the story moves to the city I am thinking NewYork (small chance could've been Boston). I seem to recall she went to a play/opera/musical/symphony with the older lady and it left a vague broadway feeling in my memory.

[Cheryl]

bump - you remember so much about it that I'm feeling bewildered nobody else seems to have read it - I want to! Could it have been YA?

[Greg]

I'm sorry I can't recall the name of this book, however, amazon recently had it on its front page as a promotion.

[J]

Thankyou Cheryl and Greg for checking out my post/search!! Cheryl; I don't think it was YA, but I bought it at Goodwill so it is not like I ever saw it at a library properly catalouged. Greg; I would really be astonished if it was advertised on Amazon since it was rather old, and apparantly not very popular. If the name comes to you let me know so I could check it out

[J]

bump

[J]

any more ideas on the title for my book? still hopeful.

[J]

bumping for my four year searching anniversary...anyone, anyone?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

So possibly a 50s romance - which is not the same, genrically speaking, as a 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s romance. Did it have a literary fiction feel, or more of a mass market feel? Do you remember if it was hardcover or paperback? Was there cover art?

[J]

My copy was hardcover, I recall no cover art or jacket. Was surely not 80s or 90s. Doubtful 70s. Possible 60s with the girl feeling old-fashioned for still having some behavior akin to 50s. I would say more mass-market as it didn't leave me feeling like it would be a classic, or that there was any depth to it. Thanks for your speedy response, hopefully this bump will the one that is productive :)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Katie and Her Camera? The strapline is "A Romance for Young Moderns." Hard to say from the short description what exactly happens.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...

Again, impossible to say what the plot of that is...

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...

"Cape Cod girl finds herself absorbed in her work and in family activities." (Worldcat subject search photographers.)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Probably not

http://www.amazon.com/Hills-Nancy-Har...

"Drucy Hewlitt loved her family's farm in Vermont, but this was her last year out of school and she wanted to be independent, get a job, and spend time on her hobby--photography."

[J]

thank you; not Katie Camera, not Hills Home. I'll look up the other 2, they don't sound like it but as we have seen that doesn't mean for sure that they aren't it :)

[J]

I found a couple used copies of each (prelude to love & sand in my castle) online and have sent inquiries to the sellers about the subject specifics. awaiting responses...

[Cheryl]

Thanks for keeping in touch!

[J]

okay responses back for prelude to love; it is
not the right book. The heroine is an amateur photographer, and it involves a French yacht in intercoastal waters. She gets enlisted by the FBI to investigate. I tried to update the subject info on the book, but couldn't see how, so I added it as a book discussion under the book's title.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

J--only GR Librarians can change a description of a book. If you have any kind of description (like from the back of the book, or from the front page, where they sometimes give a little description) then if you could PM it to me, I'll put it into the description of the book.

[J]

the subject info came from 2 separate sellers, almost the same word for word. But I did not actually see it for myself, sorry.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Ah well, all I could do was hope. :o) I really hate to have books with no descriptions.

[Cindy]

This sounds like an interesting story and I'm fascinated by how long this request has been around. I've never heard of it myself but I'll send a question to my book club and see if anyone finds it familiar.

[J]

Thank you Cindy, all help appreciated. No responses yet from the three sellers of Sand in my Castle about subject specifics. It is nice at least to be having some fresh attempts.