Just Around the Corner: Romance En Casserole Completed

Fannie Hurst's vibrant collection captures the heartbeat of early twentieth-century New York City, where working-class dreamers hustle for fortune and affection. In the gilded halls and tiled manicure parlors of the Knockerbeck Hotel, sharp-witted manicurist Gertrude Sprunt reads the hearts and fortunes of brokers, clerks, and social climbers from the tips of their fingers. Navigating the banter of jealous coworkers, flashy suitors in roaring speedwagons, and quiet romantics of modest means, Gertrude and a chorus of spirited Gothamites discover that love and ambition often simmer in the same crowded pot. With sparkling dialogue, streetwise humor, and poignant empathy, Hurst chronicles the daily struggles and fleeting triumphs of shop girls, immigrants, and city strivers chasing their slice of happiness amidst the metropolis's glittering promises.