From the famed halls of the American Museum of Natural History to the opulent parties of Manhattan’s Gilded Age elite to a muddy dig site that may be hiding a groundbreaking discovery, Birdie & Jay is a captivating historical fiction novel based on true events that will take listeners on an unforgettable journey.
Birdie, a young woman born into wealth, has a deep passion for art and science which leads her to a position painting landscape habitats at the new Museum of Natural History. Her mother—who sees this pursuit as a distraction from her daughter’s obligatory society functions—tries to forbid her from the museum. But Birdie’s dedication only grows once she meets Jay, an intelligent Irishman who’s yanked himself up by his dusty bootstraps to join the museum’s elite team of researchers.
Captivated by each other despite their class differences, Birdie and Jay steal away to Central Park each day, where they discuss the work of Darwin and other forces shaping their changing world. When the two are pulled apart for the summer—Jay to an expedition in England that could make or break his career, and Birdie to the mansions of Newport toward more acceptable suitors—both of them will have to fight for what’s right, and for a chance to be together.
A rich blend of the past, passion, and scientific truth-seeking adventure, Birdie & Jay is a powerful story that will transport listeners to an era of both extraordinary risk and glittering opportunity.
