I am a sucker for this type of book. That is, one that flashes between two periods of time tied together by one significant object. In this case, that would be the home the protagonists live in. Ella is a modern day writer who moves to the house hoping a change of scenery will help her overcome her writers block. Violet is a young painter in 1855 who is trapped by the expectations of society and her family for a young woman at the time.