Title: Ten
Girls to Watch
Author: Charity Shumway
Review: I
have great things to say about the beginning and the ending of this book….but I
have to tell you that the middle just drug…on….and….on. The beginning got me ready to read a fast
paced book about love, loss, growing up and growing apart, but the middle left
me desperate to put the book down and read something else. The ending made me smile and glad that I had
slugged through the middle, but I really wished the middle could have been
edited tighter and made more interesting to the reader.
I loved the way the
women who had won the contest years ago spoke of their lives now compared to
what they thought they would be like. I
loved the fact that most of them agreed that ‘You can’t have it all.’ But they had fabulous lives that were filled
with adventure and meaning anyway. Lives
that were the envy of many and made great magazine articles.
One of the winners, a
friend of the protagonist Dawn, told her that she knew everything would work
out. She told her that she knew this because
of her life experience and the evidence that she had built over-time and that
Dawn would find that out as she accomplished things in her life and built up
her own reserves of evidence. Growing-up
is difficult and when you think you are finally there you realize you still have
a lot to learn. Dawn had things to learn
about life, careers, friends, and love. Wonderful advice from the women made this book inspirational, but too long and drawn out in my opinion. More about Dawn and less about the women would have helped move this story along.
The story sucked me in
but then just slowed to a crawl. I kept
reading here and there wondering when things would get interesting again….and when
the booked picked up again, I finally finished it. I did enjoy the ending and even shed a few
tears. Dawn had a hard time at it for
awhile, but with the evidence stacking in her favor I think….well you will have
to read the book if you really want to know.
Lots of good things in
this book and lots of dead air also. A
good 100 pages could be cut to make this a book you couldn’t put down…I wish
the editor had taken a stronger hand and done that…it would have made a much
better all-around enjoyable book capable of best-seller status.
Publisher: Published July 31st 2012 by WashingtonSquare Press
ISBN: 9781451673418
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 368
Quick Review: 3 out of 5…Great beginning and end…the
middle needs work
Why I Read It:
Sent by the publisher for review.
Synopsis: A radiant debut novel about stumbling
through the early years of adulthood— and a love letter to the role models who
light the way. Like so many other recent graduates, Dawn West is trying to make
her way in New York City. She’s got an ex-boyfriend she can’t quite stop
seeing, a roommate who views rent checks and basic hygiene as optional, and a
writing career that’s gotten as far as penning an online lawn care advice
column.
So when Dawn lands a
job tracking down the past winners of Charm magazine’s “Ten Girls to Watch”
contest, she’s thrilled. After all, she’s being paid to interview hundreds of
fascinating women: once outstanding college students, they have gone on to become
mayors, opera singers, and air force pilots. As Dawn gets to know their life
stories, she’ll discover that success, love, and friendship can be found in the
most unexpected of places. Most importantly, she’ll learn that while those who
came before us can be role models, ultimately, we each have to create our own
happy ending.
Author Biography: Charity Shumway received an MFA in creative
writing from Oregon State University and a BA in English from Harvard
University. Her writing has appeared in
Glamour, where she reported on the fiftieth anniversary of the magazine’s “Top
Ten College Women” contest, Ladies Home Journal, and Fitness, among
others. She lives in Brooklyn, New Youk.
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