The Secret of the Nightingale Palace takes readers on a cross-country road trip from New York to San Francisco with 35-year-old Anna and her grandmother, the eccentric and fashionable Goldie Rosenthal.
An artist who recently lost her husband to leukemia, Anna is surprised when her estranged grandmother Goldie calls, requesting that Anna meet her in New York to discuss an important opportunity.
Curious and intrigued by her grandmother’s abrupt request, Anna drops everything in Memphis and meets Goldie in New York, who ends up convincing Anna to driving her cross country to San Francisco so she can return a priceless collection of Japanese art to its former owner. Desperate for a change in her dreary, unexciting life, Anna agrees to Goldie’s proposal and they begin to head west.
Along the way, we learn more about Goldie’s past and her life in San Francisco during the 1940s—a life Goldie had always kept hidden. Also, Anna and Goldie manage to sort out their differences and make amends but only after experiencing a few setbacks that make them appreciate one another even more. Eventually, Goldie influences Anna to move on and live a more exciting and fulfilling life, instead of mourning for her late husband.
Everything about The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is beautiful. Goldie is elegant and mysterious, and her recounts of life spent in San Francisco during the 1940s is so interesting.
One of my favorite side stories in The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is Anna’s experience with Dr. Naveen Choudary. Anna’s persona takes a turn for the better when she meets this man.
The ending of The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is surprising and pleasing. I couldn’t have predicted its outcome or imagined a better ending.
Dana Sachs has also written If You Lived Here (2007).
Last Updated on December 2, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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