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By Jessica Francis Kane Named a Top 10 Historical Fiction Book of 2025 by the New York Times Book Review Named a Best Book of the Year by Esquire , Kirkus , and the Chicago Tribune Biblioracle Named a Best Historical Fiction Book and Best Audio Book of the Year by Bookpage A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice “Kane’s remarkable excavation of this interlude, including real letters from Valpy, drips with juicy conflict and detail.” — Los Angeles Times “A fable with heart and a searching investigation into what makes a marriage endure.” —Boston Globe “A marvel of sharp concision.” —Wall Street Journal “A daring book . . . fresh and beautiful.” —Chicago Tribune The story acclaimed English author Penelope Fitzgerald never wrote, of her real-life journey to Mexico with her son in search of a much-needed inheritance, by Jessica Francis Kane, bestselling author of Rules for Visiting Penelope Fitzgerald’s charming husband is a struggling alcoholic, the London literary magazine they edit together is on the brink of bankruptcy, and she is pregnant with their third child. When she receives a mysterious letter dangling the possibility of an inheritance, Penelope sees a creative and practical lifeline that might save them. Based on Fitzgerald’s momentous 1952 trip to northern Mexico before she was famous, Jessica Francis Kane’s brilliantly imagined Fonseca is both a treasure hunt and a love story. Blending history, biography, and fiction, Kane has created an enthralling world while telling a story about how far someone might go in pursuit of a dream.