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Book Tour // The Girl from the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

June 20, 2016 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 8 comments

The Girl From the Savoy coverAbout The Girl From the Savoy

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 7, 2016)

Once begun, I dare you to put it down. Kathleen Tessaro, New York Times bestselling author of Rare Objects

London, 1923: Welcome to The Savoy hotel, a glittering jewel in London’s social scene, where the lives of the rich, the famous, and the infamous intertwine.

Here, amid the cocktails and the jazz, two women with very different pasts try to forget the devastation of the Great War and forge a new life in a city where those who dare to dream can have it all.

Dolly Lane is The Savoy’s newest chambermaid, her prospects limited by a life in service. But her proximity to the dazzling hotel guests fuels her dreams–to take the London stage by storm, to wear couture gowns, to be applauded by gallery girls and admired by critics . . . to be a star, just like her idol, Loretta May.

The daughter of an earl, Loretta has rebelliously turned her back on the carefully ordered life expected of a woman at the top of society’s elite. She will love who she wants, and live as she likes. Outwardly, her star burns bright, but Loretta holds a dark secret. She alone knows that her star cannot burn forever.

When an unusual turn of events leads Dolly’s and Loretta’s lives to collide, they must both learn to let go of their pasts in order to hold on to what they most desire.

As sweet as a love song, as energetic as a tap dance, and full of dazzling details. Jeanne Mackin, author of The Beautiful American

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My Thoughts

I stayed up late into the night reading this book and it’s been awhile since I’ve done that. I definitely had a book hangover the next day, but it was so, so worth it!

I’ve been on a historical fiction kick this year and this time period is one of my favorites. I’ve always enjoyed (or appreciated, in some cases, as certain books are hard to read) the WWI to WWII era in fiction. The Girl from the Savoy takes place just as after WWI and follows Dolly, a woman with dreams of stardom, and Loretta, a leading stage actress in London.

Dolly’s storyline infused the novel with a level of energy and excitement that had me turning pages. Gaynor’s descriptions of star-studded London were so rich that I kept glancing out the window to remind myself that I’m living in modern-day Minnesota instead of post-WWI London and I found myself wishing for winter once it hit in the novel. (Of course, with how hot and humid it’s been here recently, there might be other reasons why I’ve been wishing for winter!)

This novel also took a look at WWI and how the war changed the lives of soldiers and those who supported the soldiers from home. Every character in the novel had a connection to someone who fought in the war and they often talked about losing loved ones in the war or those who came back but were forever changed by the war.

And there was one part of the storyline that actually made me gasp.

Overall there were so many different threads that felt so true to the time period that Gaynor wove together to create The Girl from the Savoy and it was such a joy to read. If you’re a fan of historical fiction–especially that period–and you’re looking for a great book to read this summer, look no further.

Hazel GaynorAbout Hazel Gaynor

Hazel Gaynor’s 2014 debut novel The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. A Memory of Violets is her second novel.

Hazel writes a popular guest blog ‘Carry on Writing’ for national Irish writing website writing and contributes regular feature articles for the site, interviewing authors such as Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Cheryl Strayed, Rachel Joyce and Jo Baker, among others.

Hazel was the recipient of the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis award for Emerging Writers and was selected by Library Journal as one of Ten Big Breakout Authors for 2015. She appeared as a guest speaker at the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Historical Novel Society annual conferences in 2014.

Originally from Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland with her husband and two children.

Find out more about Hazel at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

[Tweet “The Girl from the Savoy is a dazzling novel of chasing dreams in post-WWI London. #amreading #bookblogger”]

PS – If you’d like another post-war novel to read when you’re done, check out The Secrets of Flight. And if you’d like something a little different check out Keep you Close (an engaging psychological thriller) and Mystic Summer (a summer read that will have you turning pages until you reach the end).

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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8 comments

  1. Rachel Ritlop says:
    June 20, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    I love staying up late to read! Will have to check this out!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      June 20, 2016 at 6:59 pm

      Me too! Let me know what you think if you check it out. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jackie says:
    June 20, 2016 at 6:02 pm

    I really want to check this out. I’m swayed by the glitz and the glamour, of course, but I’m also really intrigued by books that took place during or right after WWI. I’ve read a plethora of books about WWII, but not so much WWI. I recently read Rebel Sisters by Marita Conlon-McKenna, and that might actually be the first novel I read that was about WWI.

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      June 20, 2016 at 7:01 pm

      Me too! I’ve read a lot of books that take place during or around WWII, but not as many about WWI, so it’s a time period I’ve been looking for recently. I’ll have to check out Rebel Sisters!

      Reply
  3. Lori says:
    June 20, 2016 at 7:15 pm

    I read a lot of historical fiction from the WWII era but not this one! I love books that trace the journey toward identity of women during a time when they were still fighting for it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      June 21, 2016 at 11:04 am

      It sounds like we have similar tastes in historical fiction! Let me know what you think if you decide to check it out! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Heather J @ TLC Book Tours says:
    June 24, 2016 at 6:27 pm

    The post WWI period is perhaps my most favorite era when it comes to historical fiction. There was SO MUCH change going on in society and industry and the world in general. I love it.

    Thanks for being a part of the tour!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      July 19, 2016 at 9:19 am

      Yes! I think that’s one of the reasons I liked it so much too! Thanks for having me be part of the tour! 🙂

      Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

May 2023. Savannah, Georgia. Lots of Mina. Lots of May 2023. Savannah, Georgia. Lots of Mina. Lots of new growth on plants.
The other day I realized that there is no Savannah The other day I realized that there is no Savannah on my feed and…well, Savannah is beautiful and needs to be there. These were taken in Lafayette Square on my second day in Georgia.
Picture it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I d Picture it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I didn’t go on my weekly dam walk earlier in the week when I was excited about it. On this day I was tired after a long week and my least favorite holiday. My bed was oh so comfortable. I forced myself to roll out of bed and journey to the dam. It was filled with people and I was pokey…taking my time to get there and even journeying down one of the other paths to avoid walking across the dam. (Which isn’t long.) I finally joined the crowd and walked across. And then came back, happy to have made my weekly journey. This is when the top layer of the water started to freeze.
From March: an old mini vlog from a bagpipe rock c From March: an old mini vlog from a bagpipe rock concert, which is mostly me trying the say bagpipe rock. Some word combinations are hard! 😂 There was a sign asking us not to film, which is why there’s no concert footage.
Some of my weekly dam walks have been therapeutic Some of my weekly dam walks have been therapeutic and while the walks haven’t fixed the problems, they’ve help me breathe and connect with the world and relieve stress. 💕
April 2023. We got more snow, but it also melted. April 2023. We got more snow, but it also melted. The dam was almost overflowing. The animals are beginning to emerge. Spring is here!
Happy Independent Bookstore Day! After a coffee st Happy Independent Bookstore Day! After a coffee stop (of course) a friend and I checks out two indie bookstores that we have never been to before. I definitely want to go back to Uncle Hugo’s and Uncle Edgar’s! Did you do anything for #independentbookstoreday

#indiebookstore #indiebookshop
After watching some shopping ASMR videos I had to After watching some shopping ASMR videos I had to try it.

#asmr #groceryshopping #groceryshop  #asmrvideos
I’m a little behind in weekly dam walk reels. Le I’m a little behind in weekly dam walk reels. Let’s go back to the third week in November when there was just a little snow on the ground and the footprints in the snow seemed notable.
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