2016 Bronze IPPY AWARD WINNER Compelling … engaging … a moving family saga Kirkus Reviews From the author of the Book Club favorite, Pictures of the Past, comes another multi-layered novel, ripe with the twists and turns of the best historical fiction.Maxwell was a dashing, bachelor photojournalist, living life on the world’s stage. Paige was his niece, living a privileged, sheltered life. And then, she was orphaned by a random act of violence. Until her famous uncle became her guardian, Paige never knew the pain, power and passion of her heritage, and a family legacy in the headlines, beginning with the 1915 Eastland Disaster on the Chicago River. She never knew the Holocaust was part of her story. Could there be one more family member they could claim? A rich tapestry spanning three generations, Protecting Paige is a compelling saga of a young girl’s coming-of-age and a man’s search for a lost love.It is the still innocent year of 1962, and twelve-year-old Paige Noble awakens in a hospital room in Chicago. She has no memory of the random act of gang violence that has left her injured and orphaned. As she waits for her famous uncle to come for her, she develops a bond with Gladys, a comforting black nurse’s aide, unaware that her son was involved in the crime. Soon, the charismatic Maxwell Noble, a celebrated photographer, is located in Europe and rushes to her side. Although he has led a globetrotting bachelor life, he surprises Paige by embracing his new responsibility. But Maxwell struggles to hide his long-time obsession with Paige’s mother, his enchanting French sister-in-law. When Paige discovers her mother’s hidden diary, the secrets of the past begin to surface. Paige and her uncle embark on a journey to France, retracing events of WWII and the Holocaust, in an effort to find the one remaining family member they could claim. Her parents were always intent on protecting Paige, but Maxwell allows her to embrace the Jewish history and the heritage that she was denied. A beautiful and moving story about a young girl’s coming-of-age and a man’s quest for a lost love, Protecting Paige combines family drama and fascinating historical detail to create a rich, thought-provoking world.
