17158540

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

By: Genevieve Valentine

Released: June 3rd, 2014 by Atria Books

Length: 288 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction- Roaring Twenties / Fairy Tale retelling- Twelve Princesses Dancing

Rating: Four Stars

Acquired: via netgalley

 

It’s the era of Prohibition. The flappers are a dancing. The men are sneaking in their booze. In Manhattan, twelve sisters stay holed up in their house upstairs. Never to see their father, only when they are individually called upon to be married off.  Dying to get out of their house, the “general” eldest sister Jo, concocts a plan to drag them out dancing every night. Nothing but worn shoes and out of style dresses.  It’s the only thing that keeps them sane. But, their father has other plans for his daughters. Plans of marriage that doesn’t fit with their dancing lives. 

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club is the marvelous retelling of the well-known fairy tale “The Twelve Princesses Dancing”. What makes this novel special, and sets it apart from other retellings, is the era– the glitz, the glamour, and the sneakiness of all of it. Women were just starting to fight for their rights. It’s the perfect time for deception and the freedom these twelve girls/women are seeking. There is no better era, I believe.

 I absolutely adored this novel. I loved the characters, all twelve of the girls. Jo, the eldest, was my favorite. She grew the most out of all of them.  She had the most to lose and the least to gain. I also liked the second set of twins, Lily and Rose. I liked them because one of them was a lesbian. Why do I like that so much? Because think of how bold that is. o develop a lesbian character set in that era? It worked. It pushed the limits, yes. But, it wasn’t too much, too little, or too uncomfortable. It was perfect. It made sense one of them would be. I just liked it. I liked the character, herself, too. How daring she was. She wears pants! That’s a big deal and step.

There isn’t much I can critique about this book. The plot flowed nicely; the characters, although plenty, were developed nicely; and, the setting seemed historically accurate. I can picture Zelda Fitzgerald reading this book today and loving it. Valentine was able to reanimate the roaring twenties and bring back that life that was once alive.  I can’t recommend this book enough. This was truly a joy to read.  I hope you pick this book up. You won’t regret it.