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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I always give books 50 pages to charm me or lose me, and I couldn't quite make it to the 50 page mark with this one. I mean, it's partially my fault. I KNEW this would be vapid fluff, but I was hoping it would fun, somewhat historical vapid fluff. Culpa mea - I am an absolute killjoy when it comes to books or movies that pretend to be historical but really just pander to what contemporary audiences are familiar with - and media like Boardwalk Empire hit the nail more squarely in the head when depicting life of the 1920s. And to be frank, I've always found shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl to be mindless and unentertaining (read, stupid - I'm a killjoy, remember?). It's gotta be back to classic literature and historical non-fiction for me.
I wasn't taken with this book immediatly, but I think that's because I'd just finished The Great Gatsby. Once the awesomeness of The Great Gatsby had worn off in my mind, I was able to enjoy this book as it was. It's a good teen read. I'm beginning to live the 20s as a setting for stories, so I enjoyed that. I liked the different characters - they had definitive personalities, and you really began to care about them. My only problem was with the bad guys: I didn't learn to hate them too much. All in all though, a good read - I will probably read the rest of the series.
Ok, I'm going to go into quarters here and give this a 3.75. The first 100 pages or so were pretty hard to get into. Eventually it picked up though and got much more interesting. There were a few key plot points that were really easy to guess way ahead of time, which left for very little climax. There were some twists, however, that I didn't pick up on, so I'm still interested in reading the sequel, although I won't be standing in line at midnight to get it.
To be fair, I read an advance copy of this book, so it is subject to change before publication.
To be fair, I read an advance copy of this book, so it is subject to change before publication.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Gloria Carmody thought she had everything she could want: the big diamond, the handsome fiance, the promise of a secure, respectable life among Chicago's high society. But as her wedding looms ever nearer all Gloria can think of is a notorious speakeasy and the piano player who intrigues her more than her fiance ever has. Or will.
Lorraine Dyer doesn't understand the sudden change in her best friend, but if Gloria wants to release her inner flapper, why not? After all Lorraine is known for innovating the flapper style among their circle of friends. She's also known for some less flattering attributes like being brash. And perhaps being a bit indiscreet with her flask. But isn't that what the Roaring Twenties are all about? Maybe Gloria's dive into the world of flappers and speakeasies will mean Lorraine can finally shine on her own.
Gloria's cousin, Clara Knowles, knows more than her share about being a flapper. A lot more. But with the threat of reform school and her reputation in tatters, Clara is sent to Chicago to help plan Gloria's wedding. It isn't glamorous or particularly fun. But maybe starting over in a new city is just what she needs to leave her sordid past far behind for once and for all.
It's 1923. Prohibition has driven drinking underground, women are cutting their hair and raising their hemlines, life is a party and everyone is ready to have some fun. For three young women in Chicago the world is full of possibilities if they're ready to take a chance in Vixen (2010) by Jillian Larkin.
Vixen is the first book in Larkin's series The Flappers.
Published in December 2010, it will inevitably be compared to Anna Godbersen's widely anticipated Bright Young Things released in October 2010. Don't let the similarities fool you, Vixen stands on its own two feet.
The story is told in chapters alternating viewpoints between Gloria, Lorraine and Clara. The narratives shift and twist with each character's experiences but ultimately come together to create a poignant, exciting story. The combined perspectives add depth to the story, especially for Lorraine and Clara who spend most of the story tragically misunderstood by a lot of the other characters, not to mention by each other.
Here is an effervescent story that captures essence of the 1920s in book form. Larkin blends fashion, historical detail and vivid writing to create an original story that evokes not only the exuberance of life in the 1920s but also the confusion felt by women, particularly her three heroines, as they struggle with what it means to be a free-spirited flapper after growing up in the straight-laced world of the 1910s.
Vixen is strikingly authentic with fun slang, engaging characters and an exciting story that will leave readers guessing until the sensational conclusion. This book also has a stunning cover by Zhang Jingna.
Gloria, Lorraine and Clara's story continues in Ingenue.
Possible Pairings: What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher, Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen, The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, The Sheik by Edith Hull, Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Heroes and Thieves by Vanessa Carlton (CD)
Lorraine Dyer doesn't understand the sudden change in her best friend, but if Gloria wants to release her inner flapper, why not? After all Lorraine is known for innovating the flapper style among their circle of friends. She's also known for some less flattering attributes like being brash. And perhaps being a bit indiscreet with her flask. But isn't that what the Roaring Twenties are all about? Maybe Gloria's dive into the world of flappers and speakeasies will mean Lorraine can finally shine on her own.
Gloria's cousin, Clara Knowles, knows more than her share about being a flapper. A lot more. But with the threat of reform school and her reputation in tatters, Clara is sent to Chicago to help plan Gloria's wedding. It isn't glamorous or particularly fun. But maybe starting over in a new city is just what she needs to leave her sordid past far behind for once and for all.
It's 1923. Prohibition has driven drinking underground, women are cutting their hair and raising their hemlines, life is a party and everyone is ready to have some fun. For three young women in Chicago the world is full of possibilities if they're ready to take a chance in Vixen (2010) by Jillian Larkin.
Vixen is the first book in Larkin's series The Flappers.
Published in December 2010, it will inevitably be compared to Anna Godbersen's widely anticipated Bright Young Things released in October 2010. Don't let the similarities fool you, Vixen stands on its own two feet.
The story is told in chapters alternating viewpoints between Gloria, Lorraine and Clara. The narratives shift and twist with each character's experiences but ultimately come together to create a poignant, exciting story. The combined perspectives add depth to the story, especially for Lorraine and Clara who spend most of the story tragically misunderstood by a lot of the other characters, not to mention by each other.
Here is an effervescent story that captures essence of the 1920s in book form. Larkin blends fashion, historical detail and vivid writing to create an original story that evokes not only the exuberance of life in the 1920s but also the confusion felt by women, particularly her three heroines, as they struggle with what it means to be a free-spirited flapper after growing up in the straight-laced world of the 1910s.
Vixen is strikingly authentic with fun slang, engaging characters and an exciting story that will leave readers guessing until the sensational conclusion. This book also has a stunning cover by Zhang Jingna.
Gloria, Lorraine and Clara's story continues in Ingenue.
Possible Pairings: What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher, Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen, The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, The Sheik by Edith Hull, Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Heroes and Thieves by Vanessa Carlton (CD)
this is a little bit different from the bright young things series
Just finished this and I immediately had to go on amazon and pre-order the second one. The author totally takes you back in time. I felt as if I closed my eyes, I'd open them to The Green Mill. I can't wait for the next in the series since you're really left with a cliffhanger!
Let's go back to the 1920's, to the days of flappers and prohibition, and young lady's trying to make their mark on the world. Gloria Carmody seems to have everything...the money, the boy, the lifestyle, and friends. But she's just not quite happy with any of it. One night she sneaks out with her best friends, Lorraine and Marcus, into the biggest speak easy in town. She falls in love with the music, the atmosphere, and the people.
Lorraine has always been jealous of Gloria. She had everything, the perfect life, but at least she could tag along and absorb part of the glory as her best friends. Then one day she finds out that Gloria is hiding a secret from her, a big secret. She holds Gloria's future in her hands - what will she do with it?
Gloria's cousin, Clara, has come to town to help Gloria plan for her upcoming wedding. She also comes to escape a wild lifestyle back home and get back on track the way a proper society girl should. Little does she know that all her secrets are at risk of spilling out and ruining her new life.
This book in one of the memorable reads for 2010. The characters were developed perfectly and the story was captivating. I don't think I've ever read a novel about the 20's and it was fascinating to read about the time period. Jillina Larken is going on my watch list for authors, I can't wait until she releases the next in the series.
5/5
Lorraine has always been jealous of Gloria. She had everything, the perfect life, but at least she could tag along and absorb part of the glory as her best friends. Then one day she finds out that Gloria is hiding a secret from her, a big secret. She holds Gloria's future in her hands - what will she do with it?
Gloria's cousin, Clara, has come to town to help Gloria plan for her upcoming wedding. She also comes to escape a wild lifestyle back home and get back on track the way a proper society girl should. Little does she know that all her secrets are at risk of spilling out and ruining her new life.
This book in one of the memorable reads for 2010. The characters were developed perfectly and the story was captivating. I don't think I've ever read a novel about the 20's and it was fascinating to read about the time period. Jillina Larken is going on my watch list for authors, I can't wait until she releases the next in the series.
5/5
The only thing saving this from only getting one star is that it wasn't written that poorly. At the very beginning, during the prologue, I had the feeling I was going to seriously like this book. The gun thing really impressed me. However, I quickly realized that I had no interest at all in his book. I honestly had absolutely no feelings for these characters. I thought with a name like VIXEN it would have been much more interesting. I felt like it was a pretty heavy topic for a YA novel. Setting it in the 1920s is one thing, but giving it elements like gangsters and drinking and miscarriages.. not my idea of a YA novel, really. Maybe if I had read it instead of listening to it, I might have liked it a bit more. The narrator's voice was fine on its own, but the voices she did for the characters were not at all realistic or good. They were exaggerated and overdone, also unlike a YA book. And the whole time I was wondering how this could possibly extend to a second book! I see now, but I'm not going to continue this series. Good riddance to these characters. If someone reads the next one, fill me in.