“Enthralling. . . . Chamberlain’s ear is finely attuned to every nuance of The Rose Variations, a novel graced by a profound respect for the humble particulars of life.”—The New York Times Book Review In 1975, twenty-five-year-old Rose takes a temporary professorship at a Midwestern college, convinced that an exciting career as a composer lies ahead. Determined to be independent, she struggles with love, ambition, and the perplexing question of happiness. Marisha Chamberlain is a playwright, screenwriter, fiction writer, and poet. Her book of poems, Powers, won a Minnesota Voices Award. She lives in Hastings, Minnesota. This is her first novel.