You may wonder how I came to write The Age of Desire. It began one beautiful April day in Paris. I was there on a business trip. (For many years, I was a creative director at a large NY advertising shop. I had a client in Switzerland who asked me to attend focus groups in … [Read more...]
“Astonishing tenderness and immediacy”
“With astonishing tenderness and immediacy, The Age of Desire portrays the interwoven lives of Edith Wharton and Anna Bahlmann, her governess, secretary, and close friend. By focusing on these two women from vastly different backgrounds, Jennie Fields miraculously illuminates an … [Read more...]
Edith’s letters to Anna Bahlmann
While writing The Age of Desire, it soon became apparent that I needed a secondary character so the reader could view Edith’s life through someone else’s eyes. I knew that a woman named Anna Bahlmann was both Edith’s childhood governess and later her literary secretary. It … [Read more...]
“Page turning”
“In the vein of Loving Frank or The Paris Wife, Jennie Fields has created a page-turning period piece. Fields portrays a woman whose life was hardly innocence and mirth, but passionate, complex and more mysterious than one might ever imagine.” —Mary Morris, author of Nothing … [Read more...]
Gallery page is live
I've added the gallery section to the website where you can see images uncovered during my research for The Age of Desire. The images provide a fascinating glimpse into Edith's life. … [Read more...]