Lady Be Good

April 15, 2018
Women's fiction set in the 1950s, with a touch of social consciousness.In her second novel, Brock (A Fine Imitation, 2016) tells the story of 25-year-old Kitty Tessler, the spoiled, devious daughter of New York hotel magnate Nicholas Tessler. An attractive socialite in the Paris Hilton mode, Kitty leads a carefree existence, shuttling between beauty salons, nightclubs, and fashion shows. Yet she's not really satisfied and yearns for acceptance in the elite, old-money world epitomized by her good-hearted BFF, Henrietta Bancroft. So Kitty hatches a complicated and fairly implausible scheme to separate Hen from her fiance, the social-register cad Charles Remington, and claim him for herself; the idea is to secure his pedigree and make him miserable at the same time. Meantime, Kitty's loving father--concerned about her future--virtually commands her to marry Andre, his steady but not-so-exciting second-in-command. Needless to say, things don't go exactly as anyone planned. The action moves from New York to Miami to pre-revolutionary Cuba, where the visiting Kitty and Hen get a taste of the unrest that will eventually bring Castro to power. It's here that Kitty begins to emerge from her privileged cocoon, thanks to Max, a Jewish bandleader in the Tesslers' Miami hotel, who opens her eyes to social injustice. The pace of the book quickens during the Havana interlude, which includes scenes set in the real-life Hotel Nacional and other local hot spots. Throughout, though, too much space is devoted to descriptions of cute outfits and lavish decors. And while there's a tiny hint of Jane Austen in the novel's romantic intrigue, the characters are mostly one-dimensional, their dialogue stilted. The cheery resolution--with Kitty learning to be proud of her lineage--is never in much doubt.Some amusing moments but not as clever or observant as it needs to be.

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May 15, 2018

Brock (A Fine Imitation) portrays the 1953 upper-crust New York social scene through the eyes of 25-year-old Kitty Tessler. She is beautiful, smart, and rich, but as the granddaughter of Russian immigrants and the daughter of a self-made hotel magnate, Kitty finds her ambitions to reach the top are thwarted by old money. While she is plotting her social ascent by dating the right men, her father wants her to settle down by pursuing his hotel manager, Andre. To avoid her father's ambitions while furthering her own schemes, Kitty agrees to a trip to a Miami hotel run by Andre. Kitty is shallow and mercenary, in contrast to her long-suffering friend Hen, especially as she plots to steal Hen's fiancé. But as the novel moves toward the satisfying and heartwarming ending, Kitty changes. She falls for a penniless musician, becomes aware of the poverty and injustice outside her small, privileged circle in both Miami and Havana, and learns self-reliance. VERDICT A solid choice for historical fiction fans interested in the 1950s as well as readers who enjoy tales of women becoming empowered, taking control of their lives, and learning true friendship.--Jan Marry, Lanexa, VA

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