"This was an enjoyable read."
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It's 1922 and to celebrate her 16th birthday, Edie May's mother arranges for her to attend the Waldorf Astoria Hotel's confectionery, accompanied by the young, rich Charlie Harrison. Wearing a lemon chiffon party dress purchased by Mrs Harrison for the occasion and a pair of too small but fancy party shoes found by her mother hidden away in Woolworths, Edie soon gets bored of the confectionery and ends up gatecrashing a society wedding banquet. She spends the rest of the evening dancing and being mistaken for the Hollywood starlet, Agnes Ayres. She spends the night with the tycoon Mr Andino, and wakes regretting her decision. Having not a dime to her name, she tries to sleep in the foyer until New York City awakens and she can make her way home. She is spotted sleeping by a young concierge who moves her to one of the rooms so as not to cause scandal. The rest of the story involves getting Edie presentable (with dressers and fancy clothes from department stores, courtesy of Mr Andino) and out of the hotel, all the while everyone around her assumes she is the actress Miss Ayres.
This was an enjoyable read. Edie comes across as naive but sassy. It's clear that her mother and Mrs Harrison wanted her to be destined for better things than her poor upbringing allowed. I liked the references to the party shoes throughout; found neglected in a downtrodden store, pretty and chic, small and constricting, destined for highsteppin', good metaphors for Edie and her life. The descriptions of the fashions of the time and the changing perceptions of the era were captured really well. I really want to know where Edie ended up with her life!
Nicola Kingswell, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
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