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A review by lory_enterenchanted
Clothes-Pegs by Susan Scarlett, Noel Streatfeild
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
The author better known as Noel Streatfeild dashed off a set of twelve romantic novels that were hugely popular at the time, then fell into obscurity again. The first published is a Cinderella story of a girl who works as a seamstress for a fashionable dressmaker, then is thrust into the limelight when she's tapped for a modeling job. I loved the first half of this, with its typical Streatfeild cozy working-class family and the glimpse into the not-so-glamorous behind the scenes world of modeling, similar to the author's children's books about various theatrical and other professions.
Annabel's sudden elevation puts pressure on our heroine to be other than her own naturally charming self, while also providing her with opportunities for love and self-determination that were absent in her former milieu. Even though there was nothing especially deep or remarkable about them, Streatfeild somehow manages to create characters who seem to live off the page, and make you care about them.
The last section, which wrapped things up in a somewhat sketchy and superficial manner, was not so successful -- it seemed to have been written in haste, and could have done with a little bit more depth and thought to round out the promising beginning. I'd read more Scarlett novels, though, when I want a little glimpse into a mid-century working girl's life -- something Streatfeild always delivers on.
The author better known as Noel Streatfeild dashed off a set of twelve romantic novels that were hugely popular at the time, then fell into obscurity again. The first published is a Cinderella story of a girl who works as a seamstress for a fashionable dressmaker, then is thrust into the limelight when she's tapped for a modeling job. I loved the first half of this, with its typical Streatfeild cozy working-class family and the glimpse into the not-so-glamorous behind the scenes world of modeling, similar to the author's children's books about various theatrical and other professions.
Annabel's sudden elevation puts pressure on our heroine to be other than her own naturally charming self, while also providing her with opportunities for love and self-determination that were absent in her former milieu. Even though there was nothing especially deep or remarkable about them, Streatfeild somehow manages to create characters who seem to live off the page, and make you care about them.
The last section, which wrapped things up in a somewhat sketchy and superficial manner, was not so successful -- it seemed to have been written in haste, and could have done with a little bit more depth and thought to round out the promising beginning. I'd read more Scarlett novels, though, when I want a little glimpse into a mid-century working girl's life -- something Streatfeild always delivers on.