Standard of Excellence: 1 (Oboe) by Bruce Pearson

Standard of Excellence: 1 (Oboe) by Bruce Pearson

A newly-minted millionaire from the gold fields of British Columbia takes his daughter to Paris for an immersion course in Old-World culture. Gabriel Praed's Castle depicts the scene in Paris at the end of the 19th century, with models, designers, painters, and unscrupulous art dealers. Julia and her father make friends with young North American artists vying for success, sales, and acceptance into the Salon exhibitions.

Alice Jones's novel portrays a clash between Canadian innocence and old-world corruption, and explores the role of the new woman in a changing society. Against a backdrop of fraud and exploitation acted out on the fashionable streets of Paris and the idyllic paths of Brittany, Julia Praed, the gold-miner's daughter, and Andrew Garvie, an American artist in Paris, join together to unravel the schemes and protect friends and family.