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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
by Renée Rosen
4/5⭐️
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a stylish historical fiction novel that brings to life the dazzling world of New York and the iconic rise of Estée Lauder. I loved the setting and time period of this book. The glamour of 1940s and 1950s New York shines throughout the novel, with vivid descriptions of department store counters, smoky jazz clubs, and upscale salons.
Gloria Downing is a young woman determined to escape her scandalous past and reinvent herself in the glamorous world of Manhattan. When she crosses paths with Estée Lauder, an ambitious and driven woman with dreams of building a beauty empire, their lives intertwine. Through Gloria’s eyes, we watch Estée evolve from a hopeful entrepreneur selling creams from her kitchen to a successful businesswoman in the beauty industry.
Both Estée and Gloria possess so much grit and resilience. These women face countless challenges, making significant sacrifices as they balance friendship, personal ambition, and public image. This is a must-read if you enjoy historical fiction, strong female leads, and beauty.
by Renée Rosen
4/5⭐️
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a stylish historical fiction novel that brings to life the dazzling world of New York and the iconic rise of Estée Lauder. I loved the setting and time period of this book. The glamour of 1940s and 1950s New York shines throughout the novel, with vivid descriptions of department store counters, smoky jazz clubs, and upscale salons.
Gloria Downing is a young woman determined to escape her scandalous past and reinvent herself in the glamorous world of Manhattan. When she crosses paths with Estée Lauder, an ambitious and driven woman with dreams of building a beauty empire, their lives intertwine. Through Gloria’s eyes, we watch Estée evolve from a hopeful entrepreneur selling creams from her kitchen to a successful businesswoman in the beauty industry.
Both Estée and Gloria possess so much grit and resilience. These women face countless challenges, making significant sacrifices as they balance friendship, personal ambition, and public image. This is a must-read if you enjoy historical fiction, strong female leads, and beauty.
I think Rosen excels of telling the stories of famous people through fictional characters. This one centers of Gloria Downing, who has her own share of problems. through her eyes, we see the beginning of Estee Lauder's career in cosmetics. Yes, of course, some liberties were taken, but the story was fun and I looked forward to reading it each night.
As a former Clinique user, I would get excited over my free bag of goodies as well as the free makeovers. It was interesting to see how Estée Lauder got her start.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was too slow for me and there was not enough of an actual plot. I did find the beginning of the eater lauder brand interesting
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was my first Renee Rosen book, and I LOVED it. Diving into the life of Estee Lauder from a fictional perspective was unique, and Renee did it so well. While the book focused on her, she wasn't the main character. That title belonged to Gloria. I enjoyed Gloria, and I liked her development, especially the slight twist at the end with whom she married. However, I think she was a bit intense at times, and I just wanted her to really be there for those she cared about without letting her past get in her way. This book was woman-centric, and I loved the independence and self-starter vibes that both women exhibited throughout the story. It was engaging and well-researched with fictional touches that brought it to life. I'm super excited to read more of Rosen's work, especially since she incorporates Jewish representation into her stories.
This book was an unexpected joy. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about Estee Lauder and left knowing so much! I enjoyed the fictional main character. I also thought it was very cute and unexpected (but obvious) who she ended up with in the end. My favorite part though had to be the tough hard working women this book focuses on.
I really loved Renée Rosen's Park Avenue Summer and was excited to read about Estée Lauder's rise to fame, but I was disappointed with this book. The writing is great, and I really liked the main character Gloria, but I felt this story wasn't executed as well as it could have been. The majority of the book takes place in the 1930s and 1940s, as Gloria meets Estée and Estée is working to build up her brand. There is a second timeline in the 1980s when an author wants to talk to Gloria for an unauthorized biography of Estée, but it is only like three chapters of the book, and I felt it could have been completely cut. Those chapters actually made it seem like there were going to be some salacious events coming, but they actually weren't really dramatic at all. It almost felt like a bait and switch. I was also frustrated with Gloria and her family troubles quite a bit, but I did like her story and her ending. I netted out pretty medium on this one, but I still really enjoy Rosen's writing and subjects.