Thoroughly researched, extraordinarily well-written, and captivating, Alexandra Lapierre’s novel tells the story of Belle da Costa Greene – and, what’s more, it’s based on true events. Taking a moment to first consider the time period, and then the risks, self-control, ambition, and wild bravery of Belle Greene herself may leave you reeling.

It begins in the late 19th century: when, in 1898, Belle’s father (himself a trailblazer, the first Black graduate of Harvard) left the family, her mother and siblings decided that they would change their name and leave their extended family in Washington DC. Light-skinned African-Americans, they could pass as white – yet, having crossed this Rubicon, they could never go back, and if exposed in a violently racist America could lose everything.

A few years on, Belle became a librarian at Princeton, where she met and impressed J.P. Morgan’s nephew. Taking a directorial job in that company, she became the highest-paid woman in America, well-known in top auction houses and elite social and cultural circles. But is she truly free here, under the financier’s thumb while concealing an innate facet of her identity?

Belle Greene depicts someone who, for good or ill, chose to determine their own fate, despite the boundaries set in place by those who held all the power. It also cannot be lost that for any woman of the period, her story amounts to an incredible journey.