A Certain Age: A Novel

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams is beguiling novel set in New York in the nineteen twenties. Inspired by Richard Strauss’s comic opera Der Rosenkavalier, A Certain Age alternates between Mrs. Theresa Marshall of Fifth Avenue, who is falling in love with her paramour, the young Octavian Rofrano, recently back from the Great War, and Sophie Fortescue, a bright young thing engaged to be married to Theresa’s brother, Ox.

The scandal begins when, engaging in a long standing family tradition, Ox sends Octavian to Sophie to act as his cavalier and ask for Sophie’s hand in marriage in his stead.

The two fall for each other, and coupled with a shocking family secret, the story is set for a year of intrigue, romance, and scandal.

I enjoyed A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams. While I haven’t seen the opera it was inspired by, my enjoyment of the decadent plot wasn’t dulled in the least.

I was able to guess a few of the twists before they revealed, but coupled with William’s expert execution, that knowledge of the plot twists didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. I found myself eager to find out what happened next. It was great for anyone in love with the Jazz Age.