This Side of Innocence Book Cover

Caldwell's world of Victorian intrigue and scandal has had me wanting to paint since I first read This Side of Innocence, and bringing Alfred, Amalie, and Jerome to illustrative life was everything I could have hoped for. The original cover features a very stylized watercolor or ink illustration of the cast and singular Hilltop Manor where the story begins. The novel spans two lifetimes, and follows the scandals and shenanigans of Jerome Lindsey: gambler, heir, and ruthless competitor (right). He returns home for his cousin Alfred’s ( far left) wedding after living the bachelor’s life in New York, only to find the bride-to-be Amalie (center) the most disgraceful, scandalous, and un-Lindsey-ish woman in the world. But it’s not only his upperclass disapproval that causes him distress, but the sinking feeling that his feeling's for Amalie -- and Amalie herself -- might be more than meets the eye.