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English Summary/英文概要： In Julia Glass’s fifth book since her acclaimed novel Three Junes won the National Book Award, she gives us the story of an unusual bond between a world-famous writer and his assistant--a richly plotted novel of friendship and love, artistic ambition, the perils of celebrity, and the power of an unexpected legacy
When the revered children’s book author Mort Lear dies accidentally at his Connecticut home, he leaves his property and all its contents to his trusted assistant, Tomasina Daulair, who is moved by his generosity but dismayed by the complicated and defiant directives in his will. Tommy knew Morty for more than four decades, since meeting him in a Manhattan playground when she was twelve and he was working on sketches for the book that would make him a star. By the end of his increasingly reclusive life, she found herself living in his house as confidante and helpmeet, witness not just to his daily routines but to the emotional fallout of his strange boyhood and his volatile relationship with a lover who died of AIDS. Now Tommy must try to honor Morty’s last wishes while grappling with their effects on several people, including her estranged brother; the lonely, outraged museum curator to whom Lear once promised his artistic estate; and Nicholas Greene, the beguiling British actor cast to play Mort Lear in a movie. When Greene arrives for a visit, he and Tommy are compelled to look more closely at Morty’s past, a process that undermines much of what Tommy believed she knew about her boss--and about herself. As she contemplates a future that will no longer include him, her unlikely alliance with Greene--and the loyalty they share toward the great man--will lead to surprising upheavals in their wider relationships, their careers, and even their search for love.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 他的长期住家助理汤米·道莱尔(Tommy Daulair)不得不应对他的遗愿所带来的后果; 被这些愿望背叛的博物馆馆长梅里·加拉尔扎(Merry Galarza);和尼克格林，一个迷人的演员准备在电影中扮演李尔王。 当尼克访问李尔的家，他和汤米认识到被委以重任托管这位伟大作家的遗产和声誉意味着什么。汤米意识到，尽管他留下了慷慨的遗赠，但她为之奉献了几十年生命的这个男人却让她对自己的过去和未来产生了严重的怀疑。《树中之屋》生动而扣人心弦，充满了洞察力和幽默感，是一个关于友谊和爱情、艺术抱负、名声所累，以及那些为满足一个创造性天才的需求而做出牺牲的背后，那些关于默默无闻平凡小人物的难忘故事。(Sandy)
Awards/获奖情况： "Radiant . . . Warmhearted . . . Grippingly readable . . . [Glass’s] conclusion finds room for compromise and mutual fulfillment among her full-bodied, compassionately rendered characters." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A fascinating look at a world in which a creative artist becomes a hot property to be both honored and exploited . . . A compelling story with fully realized characters." --Michael Cart, Booklist (starred review)
"A lovely meditation on the mysteries of creativity and its costs, not just to creators, but to those who surround them . . . Avoiding cliches about tortured, exploitative genius, Glass crafts a thoughtful, warm-hearted tale about the choices each of us makes, with consequences inevitably both good and bad . . . It’s a pleasure to be in the hands of a consummate storyteller." --Wendy Smith, The Boston Globe
"Enthralling . . . Glass is a master at withholding information until just the right moment." --Robert Allen Papinchak, The National Book Review
"Radiant . . . Warmhearted . . . Grippingly readable . . . [Glass’s] conclusion finds room for compromise and mutual fulfillment among her full-bodied, compassionately rendered characters." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Since her first novel, Three Junes, Glass has explored family dynamics of all kinds with a warm, yet never sentimental sympathy. She excels at bringing her many characters to life and at imagining vivid scenes from the rarified world of art and entertainment in this excellent new book." --Library Journal
"Spell-binding . . . Elegant and character-driven . . . Glass accomplishes her task with a fresh vision and little fuss, depicting the complexity not just of creativity, but also how ’sensitivity . . . is not the same as compassion.’" --Kathleen Rooney, Chicago Tribune
"A lovely meditation on the mysteries of creativity and its costs, not just to creators, but to those who surround them . . . Avoiding cliches about tortured, exploitative genius, Glass crafts a thoughtful, warm-hearted tale about the choices each of us makes, with consequences inevitably both good and bad . . . It’s a pleasure to be in the hands of a consummate storyteller." --Wendy Smith, The Boston Globe
"Enthralling . . . Glass is a master at withholding information until just the right moment." --Robert Allen Papinchak, The National Book Review
"A fascinating look at a world in which a creative artist becomes a hot property to be both honored and exploited . . . A compelling story with fully realized characters." --Michael Cart, Booklist (starred review)
"Radiant . . . Warmhearted . . . Grippingly readable . . . [Glass’s] conclusion finds room for compromise and mutual fulfillment among her full-bodied, compassionately rendered characters." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Since her first novel, Three Junes, Glass has explored family dynamics of all kinds with a warm, yet never sentimental sympathy. She excels at bringing her many characters to life and at imagining vivid scenes from the rarified world of art and entertainment in this excellent new book." --Library Journal
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