• Back Story about writing the book
• Description of the book
• First reading from the novel: Prologue
• Second reading: France
• Third reading: Idaho
• Fourth reading: Mexico
• Fifth reading: an intriguing snippet

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"In Vanderbilt's sensuous and scenic debut novel, 50-year-old Lily Crisp leaves her home on an Idaho ranch and escapes to southern France in the hope of putting her life in perspective just two years after her beloved husband Paul's untimely death. Spending her days basking in sunshine on a French terrace, she obsessively types her history of love and loss on an old typewriter she names Madame Olivetti. And is often happily interrupted by Yves, the strapping young handyman attracted to older women. As Lily's past comes alive through her fingers on the keys, she begins to understand the fragility and beauty of life. Vanderbilt carefully paints a stunning portrait of love in its many forms -- passionate love, married love, sexual love, familial love -- set against the lush backdrops of the village on the Cote d'Azur and the rain forest in Chiapas, Mexico. Juggling between the past and present, this emotional tale illuminates the multiple layers of a woman's healing heart as Lily Crisp realizes that many pages of her life are yet to be written."

Annie McCormick
Booklist, September 1, 2008

"Vanderbilt tells a compelling story through Lily [Crisp], an honest narrator with a sense of humor and an unquenchable sense of adventure. She doesn't duck from her mistakes, which only makes the reader sympathize with them more. This book is a sensuous treat to be enjoyed like ripe, juicy fruit and dark, rich chocolate."

Christie Ridgway
BookPage, October 2008

"Annie Vanderbilt has explored the depths of feelings a woman struggles with when life appears less than perfect. You will find this a tender love story of self-acceptance."

Kay Quintin
Fresh Fiction, September 15, 2008

"Debut novelist Vanderbilt (yes, those Vanderbilts) charmingly wends her way through the memories of wealthy widow Lily Crisp. . . . those [readers] who relish delightful prose and quirky adventuresses should be satisfied."

Publisher's Weekly, September, 2008

"[Vanderbilt] writes with clear and heart-stopping prose that will resonate with every reader. I want to give this book to all of my friends and family. Fans of Elizabeth Berg and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love will devour this book and be yearning for more!"

Bookfinds, September 30, 2008

"I thoroughly enjoyed this wise, witty, sensuous exploration of a woman looking back over her rich and complex life. Following Lily as she negotiates the intricacies of love and loss kept me engaged from the very first page."

Lisa Tucker, national bestselling author
of Once Upon a Day and The Cure for Modern Life

"The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti goes down like a smooth, creamy drink, delectable, satisfying. Here, through the eyes of Lily Crisp, readers experience the maturing of a woman's heart. In voluptuous language Annie Vanderbilt offers readers the beauty of light and water as it plays over the lands of France, Idaho, Mexico and the Midwest. As her name suggests, Lily Crisp is a woman of beauty and clarity, both of which increase as we follow her fascinating life -- inner and outer -- from her twenties to her fifties. In The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti, Annie Vanderbilt unwaveringly whips up delight in her readers."

Tina Welling, author of Crybaby Ranch

"What a pleasure: A love story for grownups, spanning continents and generations, as enchanted with the places it depicts as the people who inhabit them. Annie Vanderbilt's footing in the territory of love is so sure, her eye so keen, and her instincts so true, she brings new meaning to an old adage, making Lily Crisp's journey as delicious as a French feast consumed en plein air, and impossible to resist."

Marsha Moyer, award-winning author
of the Lucy Hatch books

"From an Idaho ranch to the south of France, Vanderbilt's debut deftly weaves past and present, tracing a woman's journey as she unearths the ghosts of her past in an attempt to release them. Pour yourself a mug of cocoa, sink into your favorite chair, and settle into this sumptuous, richly layered story of the loss of love, and the possibility of finding it again with someone new."

Elizabeth Arnold, author of Pieces of My Sister's Life