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A Novel
by Ruta Sepetys
The daughter of an automotive magnate escapes to an artistic retreat that holds more secrets—and more intrigue—than she could have ever imagined, in this Prohibition-era novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea.
Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.
Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful automotive dynasty, a family known for money, not manners. Artistic, impulsive, and always slightly out of step, Marjorie has long been dismissed by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an exclusive arts program funded by an elusive benefactor, she sees a chance to redefine herself on her own terms.
The building is grand. The participants are gifted. But something…is off.
The program is uncomfortably restrictive. Doors lock at odd hours. Strange sounds echo through the halls amid whispers that women are disappearing. And the handsome benefactor—mostly absent, yet somehow everywhere—begins to unnerve her. As Marjorie's sense of self begins to slip, so does her grip on the truth. What happens to women who don't fit neatly into a gilded frame?
Set against the crumbling grandeur of 1920s Detroit and inspired by actual, long-buried historical events, A Fortune of Sand is a haunting mosaic of glamour and grift—a novel about those who vanish, and those who demand to be seen.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (6/11/2026)
...d bonus for me are cat characters.) And, I started https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/24475/a-fortune-of-sand A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys. I've been meaning to read one of the author's publications and I was drawn to this one because of the Detroit history (set in the late 1920's). I'm...
-Diane_Jones
What book have you read that’s set in or near your hometown?
I just finished reading Ruta Sepetys' A Fortune of Sand , set in Detroit and Grosse Pointe. Having lived in the Detroit suburbs my entire life, reading about the historical buildings and familiar locations made the experience even more enjoyable and immersive. I absolutely loved the book and gave...
-jillg
Do you ever read books categorized as YA (“Young Adult”)? If so, what are some that you’ve really enjoyed?
I too like Ruta Sepetys books. I am reading her newest, A Fortune of Sand, and I am enjoying it. There are mixed reviews for it, but it's too early to really gage it yet.
-jillg
"A richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and [Detroit's] dark underbelly...This will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson's Shrines of Gaiety and Jennifer Egan's Manhattan Beach." —Booklist (starred review)
"A strange and fascinating look at an eccentric, dysfunctional wealthy family in 1920s Detroit automotive circles... Sepetys has meticulously researched her home city and its affluent suburbs and it shows, from descriptions of architecture down to the upper-class lingo. [She] offers a new perspective on American capitalism by examining an era and a region seldom covered in historical fiction." —Kirkus Reviews
This information about A Fortune of Sand was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Magda Staroweiyska
Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and Salt to the Sea have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Between Shades of Gray was adapted into the film Ashes in the Snow, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament,...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Ruta Sepetys's Website
Name Pronunciation
Ruta Sepetys: Roota Suh-PET-tees
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