The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty

The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty

"Fans of Paula McLain and Marie Benedict will enjoy this insightful novel." - Kirkus Reviews "Micklewait provides a jewel box of a book illustrating that none of us invented the fight for a singularly creative life." - Randy Susan Meyers, internationally bestselling author of The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone Raised in New York's Gilded Age, pampered heiress Sara Wiborg dreams of a more creative life than the rigid future prescribed for her. It's only when she meets Gerald Murphy that she finds a man who shares her creative, aesthetic ideal and, after a friendship of eleven years, they marry despite the strong disapproval of her family. Against the sizzling Jazz Age backdrop of 1920s Paris and Antibes, Sara's innate style and gift for friendship attract the bohemian elite of the new century-including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso, and Dorothy Parker. But by the 1930s, her fortune is lost and tragedy strikes-not once, but twice. Sara's strength and resilience allow her to find a new equilibrium over time, long after the parties have ended. A heartbreaking story of love and loss, The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty follows Sara through her very modern life to reveal how tragedy can be healed by faith, unconditional love, and a creative mind. "Mickelwait's prose feels both personal and historically rich, moving between sensual details and cultural snapshots . . . At its core, this debut is about choosing a life deliberately and with devotion. . . Mickelwait champions this with a soft lyricism that never shies from sorrow." - BookLife Reviews "Fans of Paula McLain and Marie Benedict will enjoy this insightful novel." - Kirkus Reviews "Kirsten Mickelwait writes down to the very bone of the Lost Generation's artists, writers, and families, revealing a past that was not archaic but a glittering guide to today. Weaving stunningly intricate details with a grand sweep, Mickelwait provides a jewel box of a book illustrating that none of us invented the fight for a singularly creative life. . . I loved this book." -Randy Susan Meyers, internationally bestselling author of The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone " The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty transports readers back to the Paris and Côte d'Azur of the 1920s, slipping us into the luxury- and adventure-filled life of Sara and Gerald Murphy. Both quickly become dear to us, but it is Sara-channeling her creativity into making life beautiful for others-who captures our hearts. When personal tragedy and history bring an end to this charmed life, we grieve along with Sara and Gerald as they struggle to find acceptance and peace. This novel will inspire, entertain, and move you in equal measure." -Anne Matlack Evans, author of The Light Through the Branches "Every scene in this well-researched novel is thick with authenticity, and Mickelwait's exquisite attention to detail makes this Jazz Age novel come alive." -Iris Jamahl Dunkle, author of Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb "Sara Wiborg Murphy may have once been a footnote, but thanks to Mickelwait's meticulous research, creative daring and uncanny personal connections, she emerges fully realized. The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty isn't just a historical novel-it's a reclamation, a resurrection and, perhaps most importantly, a reminder that even as the party ends, the story continues." - Pacific Sun Kirsten Mickelwait is a longtime resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a copywriter by day and a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction by night. She received a degree in English from UC Berkeley, where she expanded her love of James Joyce and the expatriate creatives of 1920s Paris-including Sara and Gerald Murphy. She is a repeat alumna of the Napa Valley Writers' Conference as well as the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the Kauai Writers Conference, and the Paris Writers' Conference. Her memoir, The Ghost Marriage, was published in 2021; The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty is her debut novel.