This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR
Gloria and Betty Jenkins have a simple, but ordered life at the home they share with their mother, Sal, and father, Harry, in 1920s Liverpool. Harry is away at sea for months at a time as Chief Steward on the SS Amazonia. Whenever he arrives back in Liverpool the family host an extravagant party for their neighbours and Harry’s sister and her husband. Harry has a good job and is proud to show those around him that his family want for nothing.
When the next-door neighbour dies leaving a young daughter, Rose, alone with no family, Sal takes her in. Rose's old home is soon rented by a new family and when their eldest son, Alfie, notices Gloria, it’s not long before the two begin courting.
However, Harry listens when his pretentious sister insists that Gloria can do far better than end up with Alfie. She asks Gloria to join her on a transatlantic trip to New York and it’s during the voyage that Gloria meets and falls in love with Grant, a wealthy New Yorker. On the last day of her trip, Grant asks Gloria to marry him and much to her aunt's delight, she accepts.
Harry is thrilled that his daughter will be mixing with high society and enjoying wealth his own wife could never imagine. As Gloria and Grant bid farewell to her family, no one can imagine the future she has to look forward to. Artie is left heart-broken, but knows he can't compete with someone as sophisticated and wealthy as Grant. Betty decides that she wants to follow her father's example and go to sea, but she has to wait until she's eighteen before she can follow her dream. Gloria loves her new life and her husband ensures she has everything she could wish for, that is until 1929 when the stock market crashes and everything changes for them all.
Lyn Andrews has written many wonderful books and this story was everything I’d hoped it would be. From the difficulties of living in 1920s Liverpool to the excitement of New York high society, it brings the characters and places to life beautifully.
8/10
You can find out more about Lyn Andrews here and buy a copy of her book here and here.