A club for women in the '60's. Oh, how far we women have come since then. But we still have miles to go before we rest. These women worked hard and played hard and supported one another in their dreams.

With thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I liked that the three women had such different backgrounds and stories and yet their connection seemed realistic. Their stories were definitely compelling and I was rooting for all three women as they navigated their lives and the social club. As someone who loves traveling I particularly connected with Lisa (the flight attendant) but was fascinated to hear the job requirements at the time.

I struggled a bit to find my footing in regards to the historical timing of the book. I had a sense of when it was happening but wasn't ever quite sure of how the timing all fit together with the story.

Historical fiction about three friends in Brooklyn in the 1960’s.

Lisa is a young flight attendant for Pan Am. She lives with her parents and helps with their expenses. She wants to get married to her boyfriend Billy. She will either lose her job when she gets married, gets too old for it or gains weight. One night she meets Elaine when Billy stands her up.

Elaine is just a few years older than Lisa. She’s living with her fiancée. She loves him but he drinks too much. He doesn’t work and he lives off an inheritance from his dad. She wants to get him help. Elaine gets a job at a newspaper and her fiancée doesn’t like it.

Madilyn owns a dress shop and holds a women’s social club at night. It sounds pretty amazing. Women get together to read poems, to listen to music and dance. They talk to each other and support each other.
Madilyn is divorced from a shady politician who thought he could get away with anything.

I loved the social club setting. I loved the way the women supported each other. They were all so limited by their circumstances but tried to make the best of life.

The storyline got more somber after something awful happens. I’ll admit that I enjoyed the story more before that point.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!

I could not put this book down. It was a mix of drama, love, and all the feelings. I flew through this book, I just wanted to keep reading!

An intriguing look into the dynamics of a social club in Brooklyn in the early 1960's. The book follows three main characters who all have different types of lives. Of particular interest is what goes on at the social club and what the women find to amuse themselves. It makes you wish that you had such a club in your own neighborhood. The story moves quickly and once you start reading, you'll want to read on until the end. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Character-focused, historical women's fiction set in early 1960s Brooklyn. Women from different walks of life but constrained by the same societal limitations find stolen moments of freedom at a social club run by the bullied ex-wife of a corrupt politician.

Excellent character development of the female characters. Each seems distinct and relatable, from the naïve flight attendant to the fact-checker who wants to be a reporter. The historical setting is well drawn, and the introduction of historical events like the Cuban Missile Crisis is deftly handled, providing a mounting sense of peril in the narrative and a motivation for a character's leap of faith.

The male characters are not so well developed. Except for one peripheral character, they are one-dimensional disasters, varying only in the primary misery they inflict - lecher, liar, lout, lush. The linear narrative builds slowly, and the reader will see the train wreck far before the characters encounter it. That is not a criticism. It is, I think, part of the point: the women's lives are so cruelly circumscribed that it is difficult for them to avoid harm.

Some readers may be heartened by how much has changed since the time of this book, others dismayed by how little. Either way, this well-written evocation of the power to be oneself and show oneself resonates across decades.

Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.