Lessons in Being a Flapper - Angela Smith (2013)

After a tragic event, Autumn Hayes moves to San Francisco, where she meets an elderly woman named Marisol in unusual circumstances. Marisol changes her perspective on life, love and everything in between by teaching her how to be a real flapper from her favourite era, the 1920s. I was drawn by the concept of this book, and I learned a lot about the Roaring Twenties - it gave a wonderful impression of the era. The main protagonist, Autumn, was a slow burner for me. I felt she was very quick to jump into things, particularly friendships with utter strangers, her trust in people was naive and perhaps unrealistic in these times we live in. But after a few chapters she had won me over, I really grew to like and care about her. I loved Marisol, she was a brilliant character who brought the whole book to life. I sometimes found the 1920s slang difficult to follow, and I also thought the plot jumped at times quite abruptly from one point to another, but overall a promising debut. (LO)

Note: Angela Smith is a contributor to Chicklit Club but does not personally know her reviewer.

Chicklit Club's own US contributing editor, Angela Smith, is publishing her debut novel, Lessons in Being a Flapper, inspired by her love of the 1920s. The summary says: "Autumn Hayes has always loved the Roaring Twenties when women danced the Charleston and wore gorgeous dresses with fringe. Though she was born in the 1980s, Autumn has always felt an affinity for her grandmother's generation. After suffering through a tragic event and moving to San Francisco, Autumn finds herself meeting an elderly woman named Marisol who changes her perspective on life, love and everything in between by teaching her how to be a real flapper. Will Autumn find the 1920s to be all she expected or will she end up realising that life is only what you make of it no matter what era you're born in?"

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