Danielle Teller's clever second novel, Forged, follows the journey of a scrappy young woman determined to outwit her circumstances. Through Fanny Bartlett's ingenious rise from naïve farm girl to polished society matron, Teller examines the hollow facades of Gilded Age society and explores whether reinventing oneself is truly possible.
Fanny is desperate to escape her isolated village and abusive father, so she sets out for Cleveland, Ohio, in search of her missing sister, Betsy. After a rough start in the city, Fanny makes her way first as a parlor maid, then as a companion to young socialite Mae Garth. The proximity to Mae's family wealth is intoxicating, and Fanny reinvents herself as Kitty, a genteel but penniless young woman. She fashions a glittering new life through her wit, charm, sleight of hand, and (later) expert forging skills. Eventually, "Kitty" makes a respectable marriage, begins trading on the stock market, and builds a financial empire. But like Jay Gatsby, Tom Ripley, and other famous deceivers, her past eventually catches up to her.
Teller (All the Ever Afters) highlights the temptations of wealth, the rigid class strictures of American society, and the loneliness of living a double life. Fanny's smarts and resourcefulness help to sustain her deception, but she knows her house of cards is fragile--and her connection to Mae may prove her undoing.
With a propulsive pace reflective of its Industrial Age setting, Forged depicts the rise of a complicated heroine and asks pointed questions about what is truly valuable. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams