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(#3, Bright Young Things)
Bright Young Things | Beautiful Days | The Lucky Ones
Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 27/11/2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 375
Pages: 375
Source: Bought
Genre: YA (14+) - Historical
Genre: YA (14+) - Historical
Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity
Book Tunes
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My Rating:
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| Entertaining to the very end. |
My thoughts
Gee whiz, this series/trilogy was so delightfully fun and entertaining to read. I give it 4 stars simply because it didn't MOVE me (no tears, no big bouts of laughter) and there wasn't really much of a lesson to be learnt from reading these books. I enjoyed every page of this trilogy though; I guess I just love reading about horrible and vapid people (I mean, come on, I loved The Great Gatsby!).
I suppose if I expected more intelligence from these characters I would have been repulsed by some of their behaviour, but I just wasn't. I just read as is - I suppose this is what you'd call a guilty pleasure read. I was just coasting along, enjoying the ride, not really caring about the implications of what had happened. While none of the characters are REALLY likeable, with the exception of Max Darby, for me, the girls each fall at some point, as with Charlie and other secondary characters, I was still invested in their stories and cared about where they ended up. Because of the third person narrative I feel like my interest in these characters was more detached however, more that of an outsider looking in (kind of like a reality tv show viewer). The many romantic/sexual entanglements that these girls get themselves into was so... entertaining. I could not stop reading!
The writing style is on-par with the previous books. Godbersen provides some description so the setting isn't a complete vacuum; the pacing was neither too fast nor too slow (in my opinion) and the overall plot was easy to follow and did I mention enjoyable? I loved the inclusion of the epilogue - it ties in with the prologue from Bright Young Things and it all kind of just makes sense. The ending kind of reminds me a little of a mix between The Great Gatsby and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
My fascination in and utter obsession with the '20s Jazz Age started with The Great Gatsby. I read Bright Young Things in Sep-Oct 2010 (I remember because I was supposed to be studying for HSC but instead was engrossed in this book) which only fuelled my love for this rapidly changing and revolutionary era. I think if you also share my love for this famed period in history then you should definitely check out this series!
Quotes
First line: On the second Sunday of August, Astrid had been Mrs Charlie Grey for exactly two weeks, and she was beginning to settle into the idea. They lay by the pool, in comfortable silence, as they had every day since the heat got bad. After dark he went out on his rounds. This was the order of married life, she was learning. A wife stays in her wifely place and occupies her mind with wifely thoughts, like who to invite for luncheon and when the furniture has gone out of style and needs to be replaced. Meanwhile, a husband goes off in the mornings to the mysterious world of work. Or, if he happens to be a bootlegger, he goes at night.
Buy
AUSTRALIA: Angus and Robertson | Basement Books ($5!) | Booktopia | The Nile
INTERNATIONAL: AbeBooks | Fishpond | Book Depository
I purchased this book with my own money. All opinions written here are my own.
