From the best-selling author of The Weird Sisters comes an enchanting tale of self-discovery that will strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt they've lost their way.

Chicago, 1999. Madeleine is trapped - by her family's expectations, by her controlling husband - in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. But when she finds a diary detailing her grandmother Margie's trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets a woman she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict family and spent a summer living on her own and falling for a charismatic artist.

When Madeleine's marriage is threatened, she escapes to her hometown to stay with her disapproving mother. Shaken by the revelation of a family secret and inspired by her grandmother's bravery, Madeleine creates her own summer of joy.

In reconnecting with her love of painting and cultivating a new circle of friends, the chance of a new life emerges - but will she be bold enough take it?