A Time to Be Born - Dawn Powell

Amanda Keeler has clawed her way out of the backwaters of Ohio and into the affections of Julien Evans, New York's most powerful newspaper tycoon. With his ex-wife vanquished, Amanda reigns over their Fifth Avenue mansion, publishing wildly successful (ghostwritten) novels, charming guests at martini-soaked parties and fending off Julien's pesky advances. That's until the past comes knocking in the form of Vicky Haven, a meek school friend desperate for a lesson in reinvention. Ever the strategist, Amanda lands Vicky a job in listings and a studio apartment-perfectly placed for Amanda's daytime trysts with old flame, Ken Saunders. But matters of the heart rarely follow orders. When Vicky begins to wise up to her scheme, and sets her own sights on Ken, she ignites a love triangle that threatens to topple Amanda's carefully constructed empire. Scathingly funny and irresistibly glamorous, A Time to Be Born is a timeless portrait of social climbing, set in a 1940s Manhattan rife with backstabbing charm, brittle friendships and women who always land on their feet.