A Perfect Hand

“A Perfect Hand is a work of historical fiction set amid the byzantine rules of class and etiquette among the wealthy in Victorian England, and —most crucially — those they employ… . What’s not to like?”
—The Boston Globe

“Ayelet Waldman’s felicitous Victorian-era novel is an intricately told upstairs-downstairs saga with splendid characters… . Waldman’s earnest, romantic romp also manages to squeeze in details of the early women’s suffrage movement in England. The book soars with pitch-perfect prose, wit, and insight.
—The Christian Science Monitor

“What starts as a classic marriage plot … evolves into a very different, more complex story. Alice [Lockey], you see, has been reading about the burgeoning women’s rights movement in her 19th-century England. And maybe, just maybe, she has begun to imagine a future for herself that — gasp! — might not involve marriage after all.”
—NPR

”[A] romp of a novel… . Waldman’s writing is clever and witty, and her characters thoroughly entertaining in their quirks and foibles… . This is a romance turned on its head, a comedy addressing important concerns, [with] a few surprises thrown in at the end.”
—Historical Novel Society

“Pitch-perfect… . A very fun upstairs-downstairs novel.”
—Book Riot, “Most Anticipated Books of 2026”

“A captivating historical drama, an appealing romance, and a story of political awakening, cleverly packaged as a novel of manners. This shapeshifter reads as an engaging and witty work of escapism until it turns to more serious-minded concerns, while never losing its charm… . With a nod to Jane Austen but a firm focus on the servant class, this versatile novel will entertain and stay with readers long past its final pages.”
—Shelf Awareness

“A Perfect Hand is an absolute delight and a joy to read. This novel showcases Ayelet Waldman’s many gifts—her humor, her storytelling prowess, her wisdom about human nature, and her passion for social justice. All wrapped up in an irresistible love story. I couldn’t put it down.”
—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Cliffs

“I tore through this clever, big-hearted upstairs-downstairs novel about ambition, desire, and women’s place in the world, charmed and delighted on every page. With a voice that feels both borrowed from the 19th century and entirely her own, Ayelet Waldman gives us a servant’s story full of wit, yearning, and moral bite. Inventive, sparkling, and slyly subversive.”
—Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of The Exiles

“I was in want of a captivating book, and I found one in A Perfect Hand. Ayelet Waldman’s clever, fast-paced historical romp turned out to be not only great fun but also surprisingly stirring. This book is a pleasure.”
—Meg Wolitzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Female Persuasion

“An amuse bouche of a novel with an astringent feminist bite. Waldman twists the conventions of the 19th century novel for a result that is part homage, part satire, entirely fun.”
—Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Memorial Days

“Somehow feeling entirely of 2026 and of two centuries past, Ayelet Waldman’s A Perfect Hand is rich in detail and compelling in plot. A narrator relates the story of Alice and Charlie with a lively tone, adding wry and witty observations and notes of warning to the reader. This conceit sharpens the novel’s commentary on class, gender and power. A Perfect Hand reminds readers both of how much of our current discourse is echoed in the past, and of how important it is for one to stand up for one’s beliefs—and for those around one, too.”
—BookPage

”[A] hilarious commentary on the foibles of the rich. Readers who want a look downstairs or who want a story in which a character learns that there is more to want than a good enough job will enjoy the hell out of A Perfect Hand.”
—A Bookish Type

“If Jane Austen and Nora Ephron collaborated, they might produce something close to this new novel by Waldman… . Witty, frothy, and ultimately wise… . Sometimes a Victorian-era caper, replete with crinolines and coiffures, carries a shockingly important purpose beneath its skirts.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

“Jane Austen–esque … . Rollicking… . Waldman speaks in a graceful, authentic voice about Victorian England’s lifestyles, horrors, and frivolities. She honors women’s empowerment while relishing the tropes of the romance genre… . She has dealt readers a truly winning hand.”
—Library Journal

AYELET WALDMAN is the author of A Really Good Day, Love and Treasure, Red Hook Road, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter’s Keeper, Bad Mother, and the Mommy-Track Mystery series. She co-developed and was an Executive Producer on the Netflix series Unbelievable, which received a Peabody Award and Best Limited Series nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Primetime Emmys in 2020. Waldman lives in Berkeley, California with her husband Michael Chabon.

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