Chapter summaries The Echo of Old Books Barbara Davis

Eight Ashlyn: Chapter 19 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens on September 30, 1984, with Ashlyn in the bindery, still processing Ethan's unexpected visit, when Ruth calls with news. Ruth has identified the woman from the books: Geraldine Evelyn Spencer, born in 1899 in Chicago. Goldie's father, Ronald Spencer, made his fortune in coal and owned a string of second-rate dailies. Her parents died when the SS Afrique sank off the French coast in January 1920, leaving 21-year-old Goldie an inheritance of roughly $6 million—the equivalent of more than $30 million today.

Ruth describes Goldie as a wild child who defied expectations by actually running the publishing arm of her father's empire. She took on the social issues of her day—birth control, wages for women, eugenics, child labor—and publicly named American Nazis. She was labeled a lefty and a commie but never backed down, exposing bribery, corruption, and cronyism among powerful men. She was also photographed being hauled away in a paddy wagon after a raid at a Harlem jazz club.

Ruth then mentions Steven Schwab, a younger man who was Goldie's longtime protégé and on-and-off love interest. He worked for her newspapers, and one article described him as an aspiring novelist whose aspirations far outweighed his talent. Ruth couldn't find a single book attributed to him. Schwab lived with Goldie for the last ten years of her life and received a fistful of cash in her will. Ruth confirms Schwab is dead—Goldie died in 1979, and Schwab went a couple of years later.

Ashlyn considers whether Schwab could be Hemi. If Hemi was 26 when he met Belle in 1941, he'd be in his sixties now. Ruth drops off a manila envelope of articles and photos. Ashlyn reviews them: the Tribune article about the parents' death at sea, an opinion piece lamenting the takeover of Spencer Publishing by a twenty-one-year-old flapper, the jazz club raid article, pieces on Senator Thuneman's bribery scheme and American Nazis, a 1971 article about Goldie's involvement in the Shirley Wheeler rally, and a 1974 tabloid photo of Goldie with Schwab at a gala. The obituary confirms Schwab inherited her Park Avenue apartment and a sizable portion of her fortune.

Ashlyn feels a thrill looking at Schwab's photo but realizes nothing definitively connects him to Marian Manning. She calls Ethan twice, leaving messages about the name Steven Schwab, but he doesn't return her calls. She continues reading, hoping for more clues.

Key Events

  • Ruth identifies Goldie Spencer and shares her biography, including her parents' death and her inheritance.

  • Ruth reveals Steven Schwab's connection to Goldie and confirms he is dead.

  • Ruth delivers a manila envelope of newspaper articles and photos.

  • Ashlyn reviews the archival materials, including the 1974 gala photo of Goldie with Schwab.

  • Ashlyn calls Ethan twice with the name Steven Schwab; he doesn't return her calls.

  • Ashlyn continues reading, unresolved.

Character Development

  • Ashlyn: Her obsession deepens. She feels an itch she can't reach—the need to know. She's also protective of the story, declining to share details with Ruth out of privacy concerns. Her frustration grows as Ethan doesn't return her calls.

  • Ruth: Enthusiastic researcher who enjoys the detective work, even joking about writing a series of novels about a literary detective.

  • Goldie Spencer (from archival evidence): Defiant, crusading, unapologetic. She took on powerful men, named names, and never backed down.

  • Steven Schwab (from archival evidence): Handsome, younger, an aspiring novelist with no books to his credit, devoted to Goldie until the end.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Identity investigation: Ashlyn pieces together Goldie's life from microfilm and newspaper clippings, trying to connect a real person to the fictional Hemi.

  • Crusading journalism: Goldie's career as a muckraking publisher who exposed bribery, corruption, and American Nazis.

  • Social activism: Goldie's advocacy for birth control, women's wages, and her involvement in the Shirley Wheeler rally.

  • Defiance: Goldie's refusal to conform, from her flapper lifestyle to her willingness to name powerful men.

  • Hidden identity: The possibility that Hemi and Steven Schwab are the same person remains unverified.

  • Unfulfilled ambition: Schwab described as an aspiring novelist whose talent didn't match his ambition.

  • Legacy: Goldie's will divides her estate among women's charities, and her memorial service is covered by The New Yorker.

  • Secrecy: Ashlyn keeps her findings from Ruth, and Ethan remains silent.

  • Obsessive curiosity: Ashlyn's need to know drives her to keep reading and calling.

  • Love and deception: The murky relationship between Goldie and Schwab, and the possibility that he deceived Marian Manning.

  • Archival research: Ruth's microfilm work and Ashlyn's careful review of the envelope's contents.

  • Unanswered questions: What became of Marian Manning's poetry? When did she break her engagement to Teddy, and why?

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter provides the first concrete identification of a real-world figure connected to the books. It confirms the story has roots in actual history and gives Ashlyn a name to pursue. It also deepens the mystery by raising the possibility that Hemi and Steven Schwab are the same person while leaving the connection unverified. The chapter establishes Goldie as a formidable, defiant figure whose life story mirrors the woman Belle described, and it sets up the central unresolved question: can Ashlyn prove the connection between Schwab and Hemi?

Study Questions and Answers

1. What evidence connects Steven Schwab to Hemi, and what remains unverified?

Schwab was young and handsome, worked for one of Goldie's newspapers, and was described as an aspiring novelist with no books to his credit—details that align with Hemi's profile. However, nothing in the articles directly links Schwab to Marian Manning. Ashlyn notes that with the parade of men in Goldie's orbit, Hemi could have been anyone.

2. How does Goldie's public persona complicate Ashlyn's reading of the books?

Goldie's reputation as a wild child and her defiance of social norms make her a plausible match for the woman Belle described. But her many relationships mean Schwab is just one of several possible candidates for Hemi. The murkiness of Goldie and Schwab's relationship—described as on and off for years—adds ambiguity rather than clarity.

3. Why does Ashlyn hesitate to share her findings with Ruth?

Ashlyn feels that revealing what she's stumbled upon, now that she knows Belle and Hemi's story is true, would feel like betraying a confidence. She cites privacy issues and says she prefers to keep what she knows to herself and keep digging.

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