After her mother died, Lauré, the daughter of famous actor Jules Beaudine, grew up with a strict maternal aunt in late 1800s New York City. Lauré wants nothing more than to follow her father's footsteps into acting. She memorizes entire portions of Shakespeare's plays from a treasured volume her father sent behind her watchful aunt's back. At age eighteen her aunt seizes the volume. When the aunt goes out, Lauré storms to the theater in which her father currently is engaged. Her resolve earns her a trip with her father to his ancestral New Orleans where she was born. They stay with a friend in the Garden district because his family refuses to have anything to do with him. Will things changes? Lauré soon finds herself swept up in the parties of Carnival season. She meets two young men. Her impropriety on Mardi Gras sets the stage for the the book's climactic moments. Whitney's mastery of character, setting, and plot pacing make this an enjoyable read from start to finish. While I'm certain I read this as a teen, I did not remember the plot and found myself enjoying the story and my own memories of New Orleans as the characters wandered the streets. This novella lacked some of the darker aspects found in many of Whitney's novels, but it fit the situation. ( )

Laure is the daughter of a famous actor, but after her mother dies, she is raised by her aunt. She longs for freedom from her tyranny and to become an actress like her father. She runs away to her father when she turns 18 and he takes her to New Orleans to stay with friends. Her curiosity about the family that turned her father out of the house develops into a bit of a difficult relationship at first, but ends with a reconciliation. Miss Beaudine, half Creole, is pursued by two young men. Will she follow her heart or her dreams? ( )