In the summer of 1926, sixteen-year-old Garnet Richardson is sent to a lake resort to escape the polio epidemic in the city. She dreams of indulging her passion for ornithology and visiting the famous new amusement park-a summer of fun before she returns for her final year of high school, after which she's expected to marry a nice boy and settle into middle-class homemaking. But in the country, Garnet finds herself under the supervision of equally oppressive guardians-her father's wealthy cousin and the matron's stuck-up daughter. Only a liberating job in a hat shop, an intense, secret relationship with a daring and beautiful flapper, and a deep faith in her own fierce heart can save her from the suffocating boredom of traditional femininity.
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[I was born blue]***
(@Milkweed_Books, 14 May 2014, first published 10 April 2012, 209 pages, ebook, #popsugarreadingchallenge 2020, a book set in the 1920's, borrowed from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveLibs)
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This was a delight to read. I'm disappointed it was so short though as I didn't want to leave Garnet and Isabella behind. They became devoted friends. I was impressed by the world building in the book. Griffin has done a ton of research on the era and the resort where the book is set and this really comes across. The place felt real. The era felt real. I was transported there. The characters are spot-on as well, made of flesh and blood. I loved Garnet (cool name by the way). She's an anti-1920's heroine, feisty, longing for more from life but painfully aware of her family duties. I loved how different she is from Isabella, a bold, courageous flapper who changes her life. There's also some lesbian action which I didn't expect. This was well written, believable and made me enjoy this lovely book a little more. This rocked!
