Book Review: Bright Young Things

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Publication Date: 12 October 2010.

I received an ARC of this book from International Book Tours.


Description
The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star…

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart.


The Tweet
Bright Young Things is the story of three young women looking for love, fame and family in 1920s New York City.

What Worked (for me)
 The setting of the book. I was really looking forward to reading Bright Young Things, not only because I like the author's other series, The Luxe, but also because I am a big fan of historical fiction and have recently developed an interest in the 1920s and Prohibition. In The Luxe series, Godbersen had a gift for using great descriptions and imagery and she did not dissappoint me with Bright Young Things. I loved how she really captured New York City and particularly Manhattan during this time period. Her mention of places and landmarks were well researched. I was drawn into the story of the three young women and didn't want to put the book down once I started.

I also liked the contrast of Cordelia and Letty's lives in New York once they went their separate ways. I liked how Godbersen showed the difference between Cordelia's new life as the daughter of a rich bootlegger and Letty's life as a "working girl" who was just making enough money to pay for rent and food. Despite coming from similar backgrounds and travelling to New York together, the girls had very different experiences once their paths diverged from one another. I also liked the introduction of Astrid into the story. She too, created a contrast as a native New Yorker and socialite who was dating Cordelia's brother.

Overall
Bright Young Things is a grand historical fiction novel that will appeal to young adults and adults alike. Author Godbersen has set the scene for a wonderful series with this first book. It is full of romance, intrigue and of course wonderful scenes of New York in the 1920s. Anyone who is interested in history will be drawn into this novel. I can't wait to see how Godbersen continues the saga in the next book in the series.


My Rating is 4 stars

Picture and description courtesy of Goodreads.