Author: Laura Wood
Genre: historical fiction
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Rating:
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| an interesting approach |
Summary (provided by publisher): It is the summer of 1929. Lou Trevelyan is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a writer. Then she meets the Cardew siblings: the bubbly Caitlin and her handsome, enigmatic brother, Robert. Lou is swept into their glittering whirlwind of moonlit parties, unrivaled glamour, and whispered secrets. As she falls deeper into the world of high society, Lou must find a way to stay true to herself . . . and her heart.
My opinion: One need not be overly familiar with The Great Gatsby to recognize the parallels in this novel. We have a working class protagonist thrown into the complexities of privileged class neighbors, neighbors who seem to do nothing but have parties. This novel has less casual racism than Gatsby but takes a much harder look at classism. And the examples we see come both from the Cardews and their friends and from Lou's family. As Lou becomes more entrenched in life on the Cardew estate we see the emptiness and casual decadence of their lifestyle. And Lou's involvement creates distance with her own family. She also begins to see how the parties and fun are a cover for real pain and preventing them from going after things they actually want. One thing Gatsby has over this book is the ending. Fitzgerald's final chapters are fairly tragic, pointing out the futility of living for pleasure. This book instead suggests that a happy ending is possible for everyone involved. It might be interesting to read these two books side by side and compare ideas and images.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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