Like many women during WWII, Hazel Francis left Kansas and moved to California to take a job in the aircraft industry. She was good at the mechanical tasks and earned promotions, but in 1946 when the men returned to take the jobs, she found herself unemployed.
With nothing to return to in Kansas Hazel takes a bus to Laguna Beach to look for work. She finds an ad for an artist’s assistant. She lands the job with Hanson Radcliff, a cranky well-know artist. She becomes close to him and learns about the incident that soured his life. Hazel also gets involved with the community and is well liked. One of the people who is important to her is Jimmy the bartender at the Laguna Beach Hotel. They become involved in a romantic relationship. It’s a satisfying life, but Hazel still has dreams of working with airplanes.
Hazel is a good character, independent and adaptable. Although her life changes several times, she adjusts and makes a success of her new opportunities. The historical aspect of the book focuses on how women, who were asked to play significant roles during the war, had to reshape their lives and goals when the men came home. I thought the author did a good job illustrating this transition with Hazel’s challenges.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this book.
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