Joy CallawayThe Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper

I love reading historical books , fictional with a bit of truth thrown in. I find the way of life and the people so fascinating, so much more simple times. I knew nothing of Dorothy Draper and fell in love with her with this story. The fun and hardships Dorothy had in pursuing her passion is told very well by the author.

Delightful book Filled with whimsy, fun, love, friendship, heartache, and ideals. The heroine of this book was truly unique at the beginning of the 1900s. While she let many of the conventions of her time, befuddle her, she stayed true to herself and her convictions throughout most of her life.. I truly enjoyed this book, and hope you will too.

I enjoyed this book. The design elements combined with the private history of the main character hooked me and carried me along. Wonderful story filled with interesting historical details.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalized novel of Dorothy Draper and The Greenbrier. As a West Virginian, I have been to the Greenbrier - it's one of my favorite places - and I was so eager to dive in and learn more about its history. I love that the story went back and forth from Dorothy summering at the Greenbrier in 1908 as a young woman to her work as a successful designer in the 1940s. I was captivated by the romance (and rhododendrons) of the book and liked it so much I sent a copy to my mom! I highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction, viewers of HGTV, and all West Virginians.

I love decorating - love reading about designers current and past. After reading the reviews on this novel I purchased. The thing I find so uncomfortable in this read is how self-absorbed, spoiled and egotistical Dorothy Draper is portrayed to the reader by this author! I wanted to come away from reading this book feeling good about Dorothy Draper and feeling that she truly deserved and earned the status she has enjoyed. I feel the opposite about Ms Draper after reading a few chapters.The writer has succeeded in making me dislike the subject and feel she was haughty, self-aggrandizing very unlikeable woman.I am sorry I have even read the chapters I did.

Really brought Dorothy Draper to life for me. Peeled back the layers of mystique surrounding the Greenbriar! A wonderful immersive read!!

I loved this book! I visited the Greenbrier in Jan 1980 for a weeklong cooking school. I fell in love with the place and the history. The storyline was exceptional.

When I first met Joy in a freshman language skills class I was teaching in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University, I certainly had no clue that 20 years later we would have a role reversal, and I would be learning from her how to be more descriptive and detailed in my own writing. I was known as a tough grader, so it means something when I enthusiastically give "A" ratings to each of her three novels (The Grand Design, The Fifth Avenue Artists Society, and Secret Sisters). I read with a book in one hand and a pen in the other, underlining impressing phrasing and correcting grammar and punctuation. I almost ran out of ink marking all the lines I love in this book. I am so impressed by Joy's painstaking research, her knowledge about the lifestyles of the period's high society, their rules and manners, their elaborate clothes, and the designing and furnishing of their mansions. The writing is so superior, I felt as if I were living Dorothy Draper's life with her from Page one until the end. And as much as I dislike cliches, I cannot restrain myself from saying I am "over the moon" about The Grand Design, its entertaining and informative story, and Joy's magnificent writing.