The Girl From Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

Presenting a dazzling new historical novel … The Girl From The Savoy is as sparkling as champagne and as thrilling as the era itself.

Sometimes life gives you cotton stockings. Sometimes it gives you a Chanel gown …

Dolly Lane is a dreamer; a downtrodden maid who longs to dance on the London stage, but her life has been fractured by the Great War. Memories of the soldier she loved, of secret shame and profound loss, by turns pull her back and spur her on to make a better life.

When she finds employment as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, Dolly takes a step closer to the glittering lives of the Bright Young Things who thrive on champagne, jazz and rebellion. Right now, she must exist on the fringes of power, wealth and glamor—she must remain invisible and unimportant.

But her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to a struggling songwriter’s advertisement for a ‘muse’ and finds herself thrust into London’s exhilarating theatre scene and into the lives of celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry. Loretta and Perry may have the life Dolly aspires to, but they too are searching for something.

Now, at the precipice of the life she has and the one she longs for, the girl from The Savoy must make difficult choices: between two men; between two classes, between everything she knows and everything she dreams of. A brighter future is tantalizingly close—but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind? 

Goodreads Summary

The Great War was a difficult time in American history. The author captures the tragedy, confusion, and broken-hearted feel of the era. Dolly and Teddy have known they were going to marry forever. When she says good-bye to him at the start of the war she has no idea that he will come back a changed man. Loretta, a third point of view, decided not to obey her parents and became an actress. Unfortunately, things are not going perfectly. Around the time that Loretta is finding acting impossible, Dolly has a chance to break onto the scene; however, she would have to leave Teddy and her "old" life behind.

I liked Dolly's character the best. I enjoyed the true love feel between Teddy and Dolly. I was definitely rooting for them to work something out. Loretta's character came off as more selfish, though I did understand some of the motivations behind her decisions. The ending wasn't a total surprise, but it did sum things up nicely. This would be a fun read for adult, historical readers.

4 Stars 

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