Glimmer As You Can: Book Review

Title:  Glimmer as You Can
My Rating: 4.5
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Author: Danielle Martin
Format: Paperback
Publication Date: November 10, 2020

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Glimmer As You Can Book Blurb

“A timely and beautiful story of female friendship and strength.” –Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Queen’s Fortune

“Martin deftly and exquisitely captures this historical moment.” –Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of In Another Time

In the glitz and glamor tradition of Beatriz Williams’s Tiny Little Thing and Fiona Davis’s The Chelsea Girls, Danielle Martin’s debut is “a love letter to…women” (Greer Macallister, The Magician’s Lie) that illustrates the courage of women and the strength of sisterhood.

Welcome to the Starlite. Let your true self shine.

1962. In the middle of Brooklyn Heights sits the Starlite: boutique dress shop by day, underground women’s club by night. Started by the shop’s proprietor after her marriage crumbled, Madeline’s social club soon becomes a safe haven for women from all walks of life looking for a respite from their troubled relationships and professional frustrations. These after-hour soirées soon bring two very different women into Madeline’s life–Elaine, a British ex-pat struggling to save her relationship, and Lisa, a young stewardess whose plans for the future are suddenly upended–irrevocably changing all three women’s lives in ways no one could have predicted.

But when Madeline’s ne’er-do-well ex-husband shows up again, the luster of Starlite quickly dampens. As the sisterhood rallies around Madeline, tension begins to eat at the club. When an unspeakable tragedy befalls their sorority, one woman must decide whether to hide the truth from the group or jeopardize her own hopes and dreams. Sure to appeal to readers of Kathleen Tessaro and Suzanne Rindell, Glimmer As You Can captures the heartbeat of an era and the ambitions of a generation of women living in a man’s world–a world threatened by a wave of change.

Purchase Links

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IndieBound | Penguin Random House

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 Glimmer As You Can REVIEW

As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:

• 1 star: Did not finish
• 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
• 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
• 4 Stars: Loved this book!
• 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.

My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.

I’m human.

Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.

This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 

My Thoughts…

This was a pretty great book, but you have to take it with some context. Let me explain.

First of all, this is a character driven novel. There is a beautiful story here, but most of the time in the book is spent building the lives of these women. Each character is distinct, with different life experiences and circumstances, that all culminate in this one particular story arc.

The actual plot or action of Glimmer As You Can might even feel predictable, in that you can absolutely tell what is about to happen. But like the characters, you as the reader are powerless to stop it. I believe Danielle Martin wrote the story intentionally, allowing the audience a glimpse of what it must have felt for women at this time. Being unable to change their own circumstances in an unfair system designed to hold them back.

I loved the time spent developing female relationships. Women daring to come together and celebrate each other despite all of the societal and, at times, physical restrictions preventing them. I wanted to be in the Starlite club on Valentine’s Day as the confetti exploded and have to pick it out of my bouffant in the middle of the night before going to bed.

The other bit of context that must be considered when reading Glimmer As You Can is the historical context. Every woman’s behavior is a reflection of the time, and Danielle Martin clearly put in a lot of time and effort to emphasize the ways in which the women were different but still restricted by the time in which they lived.

The writing in Glimmer As You Can was lyrical and captivating, but also gritty at times. This book does not shy away from talking about any of “taboo” subjects many women are taught to hide: periods, weight, body image, discrimination, etc. These issues are brought out in front and talked about but in casual way. They are not overly emphasized to make a point, but instead are sprinkled into the characters’ daily lives. For me, that part was genius.

The period accuracy and depiction will thrill historical fiction fans.

What didn’t work for me…

I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the male characters and that left me feeling like there should have at least been some attempt to diversify these men. I had a hard time finding any redeeming qualities and its hard for me to believe that all of one sex is bad.

Conclusion

Glimmer As You Can is a thoughtful book about women’s friendships that an historical fiction fan would enjoy.

*Special thanks to Danielle Martin, Alcove Press, and TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of Glimmer As You Can in exchange for an honest review.