The Girl from the Savoy

June 6, 2016
The echoes of the First World War influence every character of Gaynor's latest novel, set in 1923 London. Peacetime is giving Londoners a chance to recover and reinvent themselves, and Dolly Lane is hoping that her new job at the Savoyâthe poshest hotel in the cityâwill help her do just that. After losing her fiancé to amnesia induced by shell shock, Teddy Cooper, Dolly dreams of a life on the stage. At first the other maids laugh at her ambitions of becoming a chorus girl, but then she answers an ad to be a muse to struggling composer Perry Clements. Perry introduces her to his sister, beautiful starlet Loretta May. Though the two women come from different backgrounds, both have survived losses and both are keeping secrets. As Loretta and Perry take Dolly under their wings, she finds her life as transformed as she had hoped. But even as she is launched to a lifestyle that includes couture gowns and champagne, her heart still aches for Teddy, whose shell shock has seemingly changed him for good. Dolly's path toward stardom and the secret that's been haunting her help push this historical novel toward a thoroughly satisfying ending.

April 15, 2016
A spunky young woman dances her way up from a job as a chambermaid at London's grandest hotel to a chorus girl and beyond during the Roaring '20s. Dorothy Lane is not known as Dolly Daydream for nothing. She may be washing clothes at London's famed Savoy Hotel, but her head is filled with Jazz Age fantasies of appearing in the West End or Hollywood. The hotel is full of celebs and glitterati, the so-called Bright Young People of British society, who fill the bustling ballrooms. In the first of a number of improbably lucky coincidences, Dolly literally bumps into Perry Clements, the brother of Loretta May, her superstar idol, on the street. Shortly thereafter, in another stroke of unlikely good fortune, Perry advertises for a "muse," and--surprise of surprises!--Dolly coincidentally answers the ad. At 32, Perry's sister is the breathtaking beautiful darling of the gallery girls, of whom Dolly is one: shop girls and domestics who fill the cheap theater seats and live on tabloid accounts of the stars. Though she's only a few years older than Dolly, Loretta is world-weary, awash in gin and morphine, with secret health issues. In a blend of "Cinderella" and Pygmalion, (spoiler alert, but isn't it predictable?), Dolly miraculously becomes Loretta's protegee. Gaynor (The Girl Who Came Home, 2012, etc.), a good storyteller, mars her tale by straining too hard for profundity and relying on hyperbole; Loretta describes Dolly as "the kind of girl one discovers perhaps once in a decade, a rough diamond waiting to be polished and brought out to dazzle for all the world to see." Though the book more than teases with romance-novel tropes--will Dolly end up with Perry or with her hometown amour Teddy Cooper, a solder broken by the Great War?--the only real romance here is between Dolly and the stage. This flapper-era cocktail ultimately has more fizzle than fizz.

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June 1, 2016

Dolly Lane and her childhood sweetheart Teddy were tragically torn apart after he returned from World War I, suffering severe memory loss. Now working as a maid at London's grand Savoy Hotel and basking in her close proximity to celebrities, she dreams of becoming a star. Dolly also spends her free time at dance halls and theaters, one of many starstruck "gallery girls" seeking adventure. A chance meeting and response to a newspaper ad for a "muse" finally bring her into an elite circle of performers and producers, including her idol, acclaimed actress Loretta May. Alternating chapters share Dolly, Loretta, and Teddy's perspectives as all three fight private battles and keep secrets. Likable, hardworking characters advance the story quickly. The wide-ranging effects of the war lend a realistic atmosphere without diminishing the hopeful mood. Gaynor (A Memory of Violets) provides notes about the extent of her research, and these details make the 1920s come alive. VERDICT Suggest to fans of Sarah Jio and readers of historical fiction who like interconnected stories and don't mind a few coincidental plot points. [See Prepub Alert, 12/7/15.]--Emily Byers, Salem P.L., OR

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Gaynor struts her historical stuff once again in her latest novel, set in 1920s London. Aspiring-actress Dolly Lane has just been hired at the Savoy, London's most glittering hotel. For Dolly, it is the perfect place to help her forget her troubled past and to connect with London's elite, the very people who could make or break her career. When Dolly responds to a struggling songwriter's advertisement for a muse, she is thrust head-on into the lives of the rich and powerful, including the celebrated actress Loretta May. Both women find themselves at a crossroadsthe paths forward will require them to make difficult choices and take them to places they never imagined. Gaynor's (A Memory of Violets, 2015) latest quickly and completely takes readers into the exciting world of London between the wars. This story of loss and longing and of the power of ambition and dreams to carry us forward is filled with rich period details and unforgettable characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)