Aurora the Magnificent

"Aurora the Magnificent" by Gertrude Hall Browning is a story set in Florence, Italy, during the early 1900s, which follows the lives of the Foss family, an American consular family, as they experience the wonders of a new land. The novel introduces Mr. Jerome Foss, the consul, who thinks about art and beauty as he walks home, but his thoughts soon turn to his family and the busy scene of the arrival of new American friends. The story especially tells about Mrs. Aurora Hawthorne and her daughter, Miss Estelle Madison, who bring fresh modern views. As the Foss family gets to know them, the story looks at how different cultures meet and how people form friendships, raising questions about society and beliefs.