The Audrey Hepburn Estate: A Novel

by Brenda Janowitz

Overview

One woman. Two childhood loves. The dazzling place where it all began.

“An exciting, emotional page-turner.” —KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author

A CBS New York Book Club Pick!

When Emma Jansen discovers that the grand Long Island estate where she grew up is set to be demolished, she can't help but return for one last visit. After all, it was a place filled with firsts: learning to ride a bike, sneaking a glass of champagne, falling in love.

But once Emma arrives at the storied mansion, she can't ignore the more complicated memories. Because that's not exactly where Emma grew up. Her mother and father worked for the family that owned the estate, and they lived over the garage like Audrey Hepburn's character in the film Sabrina. Emma never felt fully accepted, except by the family's grandson, Henry—a former love—and by the driver’s son, Leo—her best friend.

As plans for the property are put into motion and the three are together for the first time in over a decade, Emma finds herself caught between two worlds and two loves. And when the house reveals a shattering secret about her own family, she’ll have to decide what kind of life she really wants for herself now and who she wants to be in it.

“Readers will find themselves engrossed by this absolute treat of a book.” —PAM JENOFF, New York Times bestselling author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525811487
Publisher:	Graydon House Books
Publication date:	04/18/2023
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	79,490
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Brenda Janowitz is the author of seven novels, including The Grace Kelly Dress. She is the former books correspondent for PopSugar, and her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Real Simple, the Washington Post, and the New York Post, among others. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Hofstra School of Law and lives in New York with her husband and two sons. Find her on Instagram, @brendajanowitzwriter, and on Twitter, @brendajanowitz.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Audrey Hepburn Estate

“A complex family tale of love and deception. Brenda Janowitz always delivers delightfully complicated stories that leave me with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart!”
—KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names

“Brenda Janowitz strikes again! Fast-paced, emotional, and unputdownable. Janowitz skillfully weaves the past and present as Emma’s love triangle persists then and now.”
—LISA BARR, New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire

“Janowitz adeptly crafts a tale that is sentimental yet enigmatic, and readers will find themselves engrossed by this absolute treat of a book.”
—PAM JENOFF, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Sapphire

“The Audrey Hepburn Estate is as charming and elegant as Miss Hepburn herself and, also like Audrey, hides a huge heart. This book is smart and sweet and funny.”
—JENNA BLUM, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Family

“Janowitz’s latest is a tale of love, betrayal, and secrets…. Romantic, sweeping, and emotional.” —Booklist

“A nostalgic and intriguing story that blends a modern-day love triangle with details from Audrey Hepburn’s life.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Janowitz’s crisply written novel, inspired by the Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina, provides swift twists and turns. The author also ties in neat historical details about Hepburn’s life, making this a fun read for those who like historical fiction.”
—Library Journal

“[A] beautifully rendered portrait of how the past and the true meaning of ‘home’ can come to define the future.”
—ShelfAwareness

Praise for The Grace Kelly Dress

“Exactly the type of book I love: charming, smart, and brimming with heart.”
—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted

“A charming, heartfelt novel. Fast paced and entertaining from beginning to end.”
—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale

“A poignant and delicious novel about how family can lovingly reinvent itself.”
—Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

Praise for The Liz Taylor Ring

“Written with warmth and humor, this compelling family story sparkles like the diamond at its core.”
—Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost

“A gorgeously written multigenerational novel. I absolutely devoured this dazzling book!”
—Jillian Cantor, USA TODAY bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools

“At once an emotional love story and a family drama, The Liz Taylor Ring by Brenda Janowitz will pull you in with mystery and romance.”
—PopSugar

From the Publisher

03/01/2023

Emma Jansen is returning to Rolling Hill, the estate where she grew up as the daughter of the live-in maid Mila,and butler Hans. Leo, the son of another Rolling Hill employee, is now a property developer and has bought the falling-down estate, intending to turn it into an upscale development. Emma is distressed to learn that Rolling Hill's mansion is set to be demolished, as she loved growing up there with Leo and Henry, the grandson of the estate's original owners, the renowned art-dealing the Van Der Wraaks. She connects with a local historical society that is looking to save the estate. This forces Emma to reconnect with her past, including Fleur, the estate's cook, who might have been killed by Felix Van der Wraak, Henry's grandfather. She also realizes that Van Der Wraak may have been a former Nazi trying to cover his tracks, Leo and Emma having discovered Nazi relics in the house as teenagers. Yet the novel's actual Nazis, and Nazi hunters, might not be who Emma thought. VERDICT Janowitz's (The Grace Kelly Dress) crisply written novel, inspired by the Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina, provides swift twists and turns. The author also ties in neat historical details about Hepburn's life, making this a fun read for those who like historical fiction.—Jennie Mills

Library Journal

2023-02-08
A chef tries to save her childhood home and juggles the affections of two men from her past in this updated take on the Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina.

Emma Jansen owns a successful catering business that serves some of the most exclusive parties in New York, but she can’t escape the pull of her childhood home in Glen Cove. It wasn’t exactly her home—her parents were the hired help, and Emma lived with them in an apartment above the garage. The Audrey Hepburn Estate (so named because it shares an address with the house in the film Sabrina) was the site of some of her most cherished memories—and some of her most painful ones. She was desperately in love with Henry van der Wraak, the grandson of the estate’s owners. She also formed a deep friendship with Leo L’Unico, the son of the van der Wraaks’ driver. Now, years later, Leo is a developer intent on demolishing the estate so he can build a luxury apartment complex. Emma reconnects with Henry in her attempt to save the house from destruction, but excavating her past brings buried secrets to the surface. She still has complicated feelings for both Henry and Leo, but managing the affections of two men is far from her only problem. Emma also discovers some secrets about the estate that call into question everything she’s ever believed about her own family. Janowitz weaves in details about Audrey Hepburn’s films and also the actor's real life, including her childhood in Holland during World War II. Although the chemistry between Emma and her two love interests never quite ignites, Emma’s journey to let go of her past and solve the mystery of the estate is full of interesting historical details. Janowitz includes a fascinating author’s note that explains Hepburn’s struggle during the war as well as the many easter eggs that appear in the text.

A nostalgic and intriguing story that blends a modern-day love triangle with details from Audrey Hepburn’s life.

Kirkus Reviews

Brenda Janowitz writes with extraordinary humor and heart."

New York Times bestselling author Jane Green

A complex family tale of love and deception. Brenda Janowitz is at her finest.”

New York Times bestselling author Kristin Harmel