Birdie & Jay is available initially as an Exclusive offering from Audible Original. Print and Ebook available at the end of 2020.
"In Birdie and Jay, Ella Joy Olsen splendidly captures the grand opulence of the Gilded Age in Manhattan and Newport, with descriptions of people and places that are both nostalgic and grimly reminiscent of current struggles among the social classes. The love story at the core of this listen is everything—a version of Lady and the Tramp that involves an intellectually curious debutante, drawn to artistic pursuits frowned upon by her family, and an honorable paleontologist, born to Irish immigrants, who soon discover they have much more in common than that which divides them. For truth seekers and believers in science, the themes contained within this novel will resonate far and wide." 
Check out the Birdie & Jay Pinterest Board for photos that inspired the story.
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​From the famed halls of the American Museum of Natural History to the opulent parties of Manhattan’s Gilded Age elite to a muddy dig site that may be hiding a groundbreaking discovery, Birdie & Jay is a captivating historical novel that will take you on an unforgettable journey.
 
Birdie, a young woman born into wealth, has a deep passion for art and science which leads her to a position painting landscape habitats at the new Museum of Natural History. Her mother—who sees this pursuit as a distraction from her daughter’s obligatory society functions—tries to forbid her from the museum, but Birdie’s dedication only grows once she meets Jay, an intelligent Irishman who’s yanked himself up by his dusty bootstraps to join the Museum’s elite team of researchers.
 
Captivated by each other despite their class differences, Birdie and Jay steal away to Central Park each day, where they discuss the work of Darwin and other forces shaping their changing world. When the two are pulled apart for the summer—Jay to an expedition in England that could make or break his career, and Birdie to the mansions of Newport towards more acceptable suitors—both of them will have to fight for what’s right, and for a chance to be together.
 
A rich blend of romance, history, and scientific adventure, Birdie & Jay is a powerful story that will transport you to an era of both extraordinary risk and glittering opportunity.