Local Author, Pam Mueller, Writes Rich Historical Fiction in Splendid Isolation
2009 Georgia Author of the Year shares story of Jekyll Island Millionaires’ Club Splendid Isolation is rich historical fiction about legendary tycoons.
William K. Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller and others spring to glorious life in Splendid Isolation: The Jekyll Island Millionaires’ Club, the new historical novel by Pamela Bauer Mueller, a 2009 Georgia Author of the Year.
Mueller weaves a captivating tale about powerful financiers chasing the American entrepreneurial dream and then relaxing together, undisturbed, at their prestigious winter retreat in Jekyll Island, a getaway that in its heyday hosted clientele who controlled some one-sixth of the world’s wealth. Splendid Isolation spans 54 years, from the Gilded Age to World War II, and is told through the voices of four longtime employees of the exclusive Jekyll Island Club, where the first families of finance gathered every year. There, on one of Georgia’s most beautiful sea-barrier islands, they could hunt, golf, play tennis—as well as dine at the elegant Jekyll Island Hotel. Still, for all of its leisurely allure, the hideaway became an important player in world events. Because so many of the world’s greatest minds, and bank accounts, came together there in virtual isolation for three months each year, history was made at Jekyll Island. “The first transcontinental phone 
call took place in the Jekyll Island Club House,” explained Mueller. “President (William) McKinley planned his second election campaign while visiting the island, and the blueprint for the Federal Reserve Act was devised in secrecy there. By intertwining certain events with historical figures, and telling stories through the eyes of ladies and gentlemen who served them, I could give readers a peek into this fascinating past.”
In her sweeping saga, Mueller introduces an intriguing story line designed to bring a new understanding to this day and time, when the world could be changed by a handful of men’s after-dinner talks. Readers will discover the millionaires’ joys, tribulations, and deeply guarded secrets, and get a glimpse of the exclusive resort, with its Victorian clubhouse and mansionsized cottages, through 16 pages of historical photos.
Splendid Isolation: The Jekyll Island Millionaires’ Club $18.00 / 276 pages / February 2010 Piñata Publishing / www.pinatapub.com
