Aunt Tate thinks that you need to prepare a child for the harshness of life and kindness does not come easy to her. Uncle Miles on the other hand sees Lily as a present he can unwrap, mentally damaging Lily for life with feelings of guilt and shame.
She has a benefactor in the form of the man she calls the Aviator. He is the man responsible for the car accident, but he pays his debt to Lily with his unwavering support.
Lily is a beautiful and bright girl and she wants to dance. What's more, she wants to dance in Las Vegas. When she is eightteen years old, she takes the bus and tries her luck. As it turns out, there is only place for her as a showgirl, the girls who dance in the clubs of Vegas dressed in nothing but feathers and high heels.
At first, Ruby Wilde, as Lily now calls herself, liked the attention, the spotlight and the glitter, but after a few months the novelty wears off and Lily knows she needs a backup plan. What will her backup plan be, become a designer of showcostumes or a future with Javier? And will Lily be able to overcome the wounds from her childhood to become a woman in her own strenght?
I absolutely loved All the beautiful girls. I really liked how both the small town in Kansas and Las Vegas came to life. Elizabeth J. Church has a beautiful writing style that I enjoyed very much.
And I really liked how Lily is a balanced character. Yes she is talented and beautiful, but she is also a girl who makes stupid decisions and although she is a good dancer, she knows that the moment she stops dancing ten other girls are ready to take her place.
I also liked the other characters who help or befriend Lily, and I espeically liked the Aviator, who has a few secrets of his ow!
The ending is realistic and comepletely in line with the rest of the story.
In short, a compelling and beautiful story, very well done.
Published in 2016
I'll have to see if my library has this one; it sounds like a great read. I love it when an author creates such realistic settings and authentic characters. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, this book has both! And I really enjoyed reading it, it is a very good book I think.
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