Claire Messud discusses her New York Times Best Book of 2006 with fellow novelist Valerie Martin. The Emperor's Children is a brilliant contemporary novel of manners that puts under a magnifying glass the flawed ambitions of three college friends on the verge of their 30s, trying to make a place for themselves in New York. To set the tone for this enticing discussion, actress Hope Davis reads an excerpt from the book.

This special event was recorded live as part of the Thalia Book Club series at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City.