Hazel Ripley was
supposed to be an actress following in the footsteps of her famous
family, but she’s never achieved better than understudy status. To
try to improve her chance to shine, she joins a USO troop in Italy
during WWII. There she meets Maxine Mead, a talented actress. Hazel
also finds her calling, writing radio scripts for Maxine to read.
In the fifties,
Hazel and Maxine come together again in the famous Chelsea Hotel. The
gorgeous Victorian hotel has been famed for creative artists who lived there. Hazel has now written a play and Maxine is to star in it.
Their hopes are high, but this is a volatile time in the
entertainment industry. McCarthyism is sweeping the country and the
girls are caught up in it.
For me, the best
part of the book was the excellent descriptions of the Chelsea Hotel.
I could see the art, the furnishings, and best of all the out of the
way spaces and passages that are unique to the hotel. The author has
done an excellent job of folding her substantial research into the
story.
The history of the
McCarthy era and the House Un-American Activities Committee was
fascinating and gave a good background for the plot which centered
around love, trust, freedom, and wartime memories affecting the main
characters.
This is a good
historical novel that well creates the era and showcases the famous
Chelsea Hotel.
I received the book
for this review from Net Galley.
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