house of hope

Ranging from 1862 to the present, this panoramic family saga traces the history of a famed London auction house and the dynasty behind it. Alexander's characterizations are lively, ranging from Vittorio Speranza, the ambitious Sicilian who founds the firm that will in time become Hope and Company; Ludo, Lord Kenrick, Vittorio's first important client; and their numerous descendants, united by alliances and marital unions, some of them marriages of convenience spurred by incest and illegitimate births. (via Kirkus)