Where to Start with Emily Gray Tedrowe
If you are new to Emily Gray Tedrowe's work, the best place to start is her critically acclaimed 2020 novel, The Talented Miss Farwell. This book represents the peak of her storytelling, combining the fast-paced thrill of a con-artist tale with a deep, psychological study of a woman leading a double life. However, if you prefer emotional family dramas, her debut Commuters is an excellent entry point. For readers interested in moving, realistic accounts of contemporary social issues, Blue Stars provides an unforgettable look at the families behind the front lines of war.
Emily Gray Tedrowe Books in Publication Order
Emily Gray Tedrowe's novels are all standalone works of contemporary literary fiction. Because there are no direct sequels or shared-universe connections, you can read them in any order you choose. However, reading them in publication order allows you to see her evolution as a writer:
- Commuters (2010)
- Blue Stars (2015)
- The Talented Miss Farwell (2020)
Detailed Breakdown of the Novels
Commuters (2010)
Tedrowe's debut novel, Commuters, centers on the quiet commuter town of Hartfield in upstate New York. The story begins when seventy-eight-year-old widow Winnie Easton unexpectedly marries Jerry Trevis, a wealthy octogenarian businessman from Chicago. This late-in-life union sends shockwaves through both of their families, bringing together a cast of characters with vastly different financial situations and expectations.
As Jerry moves his affluent life from Chicago to Winnie's large mansion in Hartfield, family tensions escalate over inheritances and control. The book shifts perspectives between several key characters, including Winnie's middle-aged daughter Rachel, who is struggling financially while caring for her husband after a brain injury, and Jerry's hostile daughter Annette, who initiates a legal battle. The central link between these fractured dynamics is Avery, Jerry's grandson, who is trying to find his footing as an aspiring chef in the New York City restaurant scene. Tedrowe explores the quiet desperation, complex loyalties, and messy realities of aging and family obligation with empathy and humor.
Blue Stars (2015)
In her second novel, Blue Stars, Tedrowe shifts her focus to the domestic front during the Iraq War, exploring the intense burdens carried by military families. The narrative tracks two very different women whose lives collide at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after their loved ones are severely wounded in combat.
Ellen Silverman is a widowed literature professor from the Midwest and an active anti-war academic. Her life is upended when her legal ward, Michael, enlists in the Marines and returns home with severe injuries. Lacey Reed Diaz is a working-class mother and Army wife from Texas who is married to Eddie, a reservist. While Lacey is familiar with military culture, she struggles with the isolation and financial strain of deployment. When both men are hospitalized, Ellen and Lacey form an unlikely friendship, navigating the complex bureaucracy of military medical care, the exhausting physical demands of caregiving, and their own conflicting beliefs. The novel is celebrated for its compassionate, realistic, and unromanticized portrayal of the sacrifices made by those who wait at home.
The Talented Miss Farwell (2020)
Inspired by the real-life municipal embezzlement scandal of Rita Crundwell in Dixon, Illinois, The Talented Miss Farwell is a gripping psychological drama. The novel follows Becky Farwell, a small-town girl with a genius-level talent for numbers who climbs the ranks to become the trusted city comptroller of Pierson, Illinois.
Becky begins skimming small amounts from the town's accounts to help keep the municipality afloat, but she soon finds herself drawn into the high-stakes Chicago art market. Using the pseudonym "Reba," she constructs a sophisticated double life: by day, she is a frugal, hardworking public servant in a dwindling Midwestern town; by night and on weekends, she is a ruthless, glamorous art collector buying multi-million-dollar pieces in New York and Chicago galleries. The novel details how Becky's obsession with art drives her to embezzle upwards of $50 million over several decades, illustrating the psychological toll of her deception and the tragic impact of her actions on the community that trusted her.
What to Know Before You Start
When diving into Emily Gray Tedrowe's bibliography, keep the following in mind:
- Midwestern Grounding: While Tedrowe's stories travel to New York and Washington, D.C., they are deeply anchored in the geography and culture of the American Midwest (especially Chicago and Illinois), reflecting her own background as a long-term Chicago resident.
- Character-Driven Realism: Rather than relying on simple heroics or clear-cut villains, Tedrowe specializes in morally gray characters who make difficult, sometimes highly questionable choices under pressure.
- No Reading Order Caveats: You do not need to worry about chronological vs. publication order. Each novel is self-contained, meaning you can pick up whichever premise sounds most appealing to you first.