Lady with Carnations

Katharine Lorimer, owner of an antiques business, is a successful woman in a man's world. But trade is in decline and she has staked everything on the purchase of a famour Holbein miniature which she hopes to sell to a wealthy American collector.
Anxiety and her natural reserve have alienated Katharine even from her niece Nancy who, with her fiancé, is Katharine's companion on the fateful journey to New York. As Katharine fights to secure her future in the competitive and glamorous world of Fifth Avenue antique dealers, and Nancy tries to realise her dream of theatrical success, the lives of all three are irrevocably altered.
An engrossing plot, sympathetic characters, and humanity give this novel all the qualities which have made A. J. Cronin's books world famous.