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Woman Enters Left
1926. Two friends, Ethel Wild and Florrie Daniels, embark on a cross-country adventure in Florrie's Model T. They are heading west each with an important destination: Florrie is moving to Hollywood to become a screenwriter, while Ethel is trying to catch up to her husband in Nevada before he's able to start divorce proceedings.
1952. B-list movie star Louise Wilde learns she's inherited screenwriter Florence Daniels's entire estate. She is baffled and her confusion only grows when she discovers a cache of old photographs of Ms. Daniels with her mother, who died when Louise was six. She drives east hoping her father can provide some answers, and hoping, too, that the time away will give her a chance to decide what to do about her own troubled marriage.
1952. B-list movie star Louise Wilde learns she's inherited screenwriter Florence Daniels's entire estate. She is baffled and her confusion only grows when she discovers a cache of old photographs of Ms. Daniels with her mother, who died when Louise was six. She drives east hoping her father can provide some answers, and hoping, too, that the time away will give her a chance to decide what to do about her own troubled marriage.
350 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2017
124 people are currently reading
2454 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Brockmole
9 books495 followersI have been enamored with history ever since childhood. Enthusiastically playing The Oregon Trail in the school computer lab, exploring museums and living history sites, devouring Sunfire romances, and watching Back to the Future, I hoped that I too would find a time machine someday. Indeed I have found a way to time travel—by researching the past that fascinates me so much. Writing historical fiction and academic historical nonfiction has brought to life that childhood desire to explore the world, past and present.
Also writes under Jessica A. Brockmole
Also writes under Jessica A. Brockmole
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
February 9, 2018
A lot better than Jessica’s last novel (in my opinion). It’s about 3 women—2 in 1926, & 1 in 1952—finding their way and discovering who they really are, while fighting against society’s “rules” and their own hearts.
September 29, 2017
Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole is one of my favorite reads in recent years and of course At The Edge of Summer was also a stunning read, so I was exceptionally eager to read her latest book Woman Enters Left. Needless to say I had high expectations.
I personally think that Brockmole is at her best when she is writing a romance, but this book sounded intriguing and was told in journal form (which I love) so I was eager to see how it unfolded.
This novel had a different tone than some of her others, not just the time period but also the content. This book focused more on friendship than romance which I was a little disappointed about because I just love how Brockmole writes romance. However, I loved the ‘open road’ concept which helped fill in some of the missing ‘romance’ for me.
Who doesn’t love a road trip? The open road with no maps? Where will life take you next? I love this concept and in this book it really shined. Brockmole makes the open road sound so romantic and intriguing. It almost makes me want to just up and start driving wherever the road will take me! I love how she capitalized on this concept and I thought it worked well within the novel.
I also enjoyed the characters. Because the book is written via letters/journals, it really allows the reader to connect with each character on such an intimate and personal level. This narrative style is Brockmole’s bread and butter. She is at her best in this form. I love how quickly the book read and the stories each moved thanks in no small part to this narrative style. It was hard to not read ‘just one more chapter’ every time an entry finished.
While I still think I like her other two books better, this isn’t a bad novel by any means! The story is timeless and will appeal to readers from many walks of life. It’s fast paced and romantic in it’s own way. If you love epistolary novels, then you can find no better than Brockmole’s books!
See my full review here
I personally think that Brockmole is at her best when she is writing a romance, but this book sounded intriguing and was told in journal form (which I love) so I was eager to see how it unfolded.
This novel had a different tone than some of her others, not just the time period but also the content. This book focused more on friendship than romance which I was a little disappointed about because I just love how Brockmole writes romance. However, I loved the ‘open road’ concept which helped fill in some of the missing ‘romance’ for me.
Who doesn’t love a road trip? The open road with no maps? Where will life take you next? I love this concept and in this book it really shined. Brockmole makes the open road sound so romantic and intriguing. It almost makes me want to just up and start driving wherever the road will take me! I love how she capitalized on this concept and I thought it worked well within the novel.
I also enjoyed the characters. Because the book is written via letters/journals, it really allows the reader to connect with each character on such an intimate and personal level. This narrative style is Brockmole’s bread and butter. She is at her best in this form. I love how quickly the book read and the stories each moved thanks in no small part to this narrative style. It was hard to not read ‘just one more chapter’ every time an entry finished.
While I still think I like her other two books better, this isn’t a bad novel by any means! The story is timeless and will appeal to readers from many walks of life. It’s fast paced and romantic in it’s own way. If you love epistolary novels, then you can find no better than Brockmole’s books!
See my full review here
October 2, 2017
Find all my book reviews, plus author interviews, guest posts and book extracts, on my blog: https://whatcathyreadnext.wordpress.com/
10 Things I Loved About Woman Enters Left by Jessica Brockmole
1.It’s built around three strong female characters and presents a wonderful and moving picture of female love and friendship.
2.Its evocation of the glamorous and not so glamorous aspects of the Golden Ages of Hollywood – the studios, the actors, the screenwriters, the casting couch…
3.The brilliantly observed period detail in each timeline. The clothes, the make-up, the cocktails, the food – creamed chipped beef on toast, slumgullion stew, shrimp wiggle, croquettes.
4.The carefully-constructed narrative structure, with the story moving back and forth between the two timelines: the 1926 narrative told through Ethel’s and Florrie’s journals, each in their distinctive style, interspersed with excerpts from Florrie’s unpublished screenplay; the 1952 narrative told from Louise’s point of view, with other documents used to fill in the period between 1926 and 1952.
5.The fascinating road trip along Route 66 with its campsites, dude ranches, motels and, dare I say it, cinematic scenery.
6.The multi-layered narrative that, as well as the central story of the three women, covers issues as diverse as the blacklisting of screenwriters/actors in the 1950s and the activities of The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), workplace safety and sexual freedom (or lack of it), the Korean war and post-combat stress.
7.Its themes: of unintended consequences and the guilt that can arise from these; missed opportunities in life, career and love; the need to seize second chances.
8.The sparkling dialogue, particularly between Louise and Arnie, that’s straight out of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in, say, Woman of the Year
9.The frequent allusions to life as a film script from the title itself, Woman Enters Left to the way the characters see themselves and interpret their experiences: ‘She can picture it now, a shot on the screen in Technicolor. The red car, the brown desert, the dark-haired actress running away from it all with her wicker suitcase.’ ‘But what does the scene call for? What would the script say?’
10.The brilliant ending – pure Hollywood!
Not too difficult to guess that I adored this book. It has it all: romance, glamour, authentic period detail and a compelling narrative. If someone doesn’t snap up the film rights, they’re missing a trick. Highly recommended…and all Jessica’s previous books just got added to my TBR.
I received an advance reader copy courtesy of HF Virtual Book Tours in return for an honest review.
10 Things I Loved About Woman Enters Left by Jessica Brockmole
1.It’s built around three strong female characters and presents a wonderful and moving picture of female love and friendship.
2.Its evocation of the glamorous and not so glamorous aspects of the Golden Ages of Hollywood – the studios, the actors, the screenwriters, the casting couch…
3.The brilliantly observed period detail in each timeline. The clothes, the make-up, the cocktails, the food – creamed chipped beef on toast, slumgullion stew, shrimp wiggle, croquettes.
4.The carefully-constructed narrative structure, with the story moving back and forth between the two timelines: the 1926 narrative told through Ethel’s and Florrie’s journals, each in their distinctive style, interspersed with excerpts from Florrie’s unpublished screenplay; the 1952 narrative told from Louise’s point of view, with other documents used to fill in the period between 1926 and 1952.
5.The fascinating road trip along Route 66 with its campsites, dude ranches, motels and, dare I say it, cinematic scenery.
6.The multi-layered narrative that, as well as the central story of the three women, covers issues as diverse as the blacklisting of screenwriters/actors in the 1950s and the activities of The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), workplace safety and sexual freedom (or lack of it), the Korean war and post-combat stress.
7.Its themes: of unintended consequences and the guilt that can arise from these; missed opportunities in life, career and love; the need to seize second chances.
8.The sparkling dialogue, particularly between Louise and Arnie, that’s straight out of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in, say, Woman of the Year
9.The frequent allusions to life as a film script from the title itself, Woman Enters Left to the way the characters see themselves and interpret their experiences: ‘She can picture it now, a shot on the screen in Technicolor. The red car, the brown desert, the dark-haired actress running away from it all with her wicker suitcase.’ ‘But what does the scene call for? What would the script say?’
10.The brilliant ending – pure Hollywood!
Not too difficult to guess that I adored this book. It has it all: romance, glamour, authentic period detail and a compelling narrative. If someone doesn’t snap up the film rights, they’re missing a trick. Highly recommended…and all Jessica’s previous books just got added to my TBR.
I received an advance reader copy courtesy of HF Virtual Book Tours in return for an honest review.
November 13, 2018
Meet three ladies. All are travelers. In 1956, it is Louise who is travelling. She is married to a screen writer. She is an actress. Her next 'assignment' is to film in Las Vegas. She sets off in her cherry red Studebaker Champion, leaving her paralyzed husband to fend for himself.
In 1926, Flossie sets out for Hollywood. Before she can get out of the driveway, her high school friend, Ethyl, 'flags' her down and asks to go too. Her husband and daughter have left home, both leaving notes. Carl, her husband, has left for Nevada, taking daughter Anna Louise (age 6) with him.
There are so many references to history in this book. I am a child of the 50's, so recognized many of the 1950 references. The journey in 1926 was very enlightening as well. Imagine two ladies, both who had worked at The Radium Company painting watch dials, trekking 3000 miles in a Model T on roads that were not even paved. Talk about adventurous ladies!!
I did enjoy the book, but the ending was weak. All of a sudden everything was all neatly tied up with a bow. I think it took the author 4 pages to suddenly sum up the book. If not for that, the book would have had 5 stars.
4 stars
Discussed at book club and lots of sharing ensued!!
In 1926, Flossie sets out for Hollywood. Before she can get out of the driveway, her high school friend, Ethyl, 'flags' her down and asks to go too. Her husband and daughter have left home, both leaving notes. Carl, her husband, has left for Nevada, taking daughter Anna Louise (age 6) with him.
There are so many references to history in this book. I am a child of the 50's, so recognized many of the 1950 references. The journey in 1926 was very enlightening as well. Imagine two ladies, both who had worked at The Radium Company painting watch dials, trekking 3000 miles in a Model T on roads that were not even paved. Talk about adventurous ladies!!
I did enjoy the book, but the ending was weak. All of a sudden everything was all neatly tied up with a bow. I think it took the author 4 pages to suddenly sum up the book. If not for that, the book would have had 5 stars.
4 stars
Discussed at book club and lots of sharing ensued!!
June 9, 2017
Louise Wild has decided to drive out to her next job acting in a movie on a set in Vegas. Little does she know, she is following the same route, although in reverse, that the mother, whom she doesn’t remember, followed with her own best friend 26 years before. Just before she leaves Hollywood, Louise discovers that she has inherited everything that Florence Daniels, a screenwriter she hardly even knows, owned. As Louise drives east, she discovers some truths about the mother who died when she was only six.
This amazing historical fiction is filled with interesting historical details about the ‘radium girls’, Hollywood in the 50’s, the HUAC, and some interesting facts about the 1920’s. Just as a historical fiction, it is fascinating.
As a story, it is wonderful. I have read Jessica Brockmole’s others books, and I savored each one. So I was expecting a lot, here. And this book did not fail to deliver. Rich character development and a tender, realistic story line kept me reading and made me cry when it was over. This is another amazing Brockmole tale!
I was given a free copy of tis book in exchange for an unbiased review.
This amazing historical fiction is filled with interesting historical details about the ‘radium girls’, Hollywood in the 50’s, the HUAC, and some interesting facts about the 1920’s. Just as a historical fiction, it is fascinating.
As a story, it is wonderful. I have read Jessica Brockmole’s others books, and I savored each one. So I was expecting a lot, here. And this book did not fail to deliver. Rich character development and a tender, realistic story line kept me reading and made me cry when it was over. This is another amazing Brockmole tale!
I was given a free copy of tis book in exchange for an unbiased review.
October 6, 2017
Woman Enters Left is so much more than a story about a Hollywood star returning home for Christmas. Louise Wilde is contacted by a lawyer and she finds herself the beneficiary of the estate of a woman she really didn’t know, a screenwriter named Florrie Daniels. While at the meeting which takes place at the woman’s apartment she finds an envelope full of photos – of her mother who died when Louise when a child. Louise also finds a diary and several screenplays that excite her in a way her current work definitely does not.
Her work at the studio is not the only thing that Louise is finding unsatisfying in her life – her husband, has returned from Korea, where he went as a correspondent, with severe injuries and he has withdrawn from life, work and her. When Louise decided to follow a whim and drive back to her home in New Jersey for the holidays it shakes up her work life and her home life.
What Louise does not know is that her parents and Florrie were all good friends from a very young age. They all went to school together and their relationships to each other were complicated. As Louise heads East the book alternates chapters and the reader experiences the trip that Louise’s mother and Florrie made as they drove West to Nevada. I don’t want to share the purpose as it will spill too much. The diary that shares the story is part of what Louise found at Florrie’s apartment; it has notes from both women and a curious and somewhat entertaining list of what they bought along the way with the costs – their trip took place in the mid-1920s.
The book is all about relationships. Mother/daughter, husband/wife, friends and many more. None are easy and all are complicated. This book reads like an easy beach read but there is so much going on it really needs deep attention. So many little things can sneak by and you find yourself thinking back to a small moment from a chapter back and going, aaaaaah. It is so well written you don’t realize just how deep it is.
With that being said, there isn’t much character development beyond the basic information given to create the main players. I know that’s an odd thing to write after so many glowing words above but it is a bit of a lack – it doesn’t overly detract from this particular tale due to what it is, although I would have liked to know more about Florrie and Louise’s mom, Ethel. And her father for that matter. It is a page turner though and definitely worth reading.
4.5
Her work at the studio is not the only thing that Louise is finding unsatisfying in her life – her husband, has returned from Korea, where he went as a correspondent, with severe injuries and he has withdrawn from life, work and her. When Louise decided to follow a whim and drive back to her home in New Jersey for the holidays it shakes up her work life and her home life.
What Louise does not know is that her parents and Florrie were all good friends from a very young age. They all went to school together and their relationships to each other were complicated. As Louise heads East the book alternates chapters and the reader experiences the trip that Louise’s mother and Florrie made as they drove West to Nevada. I don’t want to share the purpose as it will spill too much. The diary that shares the story is part of what Louise found at Florrie’s apartment; it has notes from both women and a curious and somewhat entertaining list of what they bought along the way with the costs – their trip took place in the mid-1920s.
The book is all about relationships. Mother/daughter, husband/wife, friends and many more. None are easy and all are complicated. This book reads like an easy beach read but there is so much going on it really needs deep attention. So many little things can sneak by and you find yourself thinking back to a small moment from a chapter back and going, aaaaaah. It is so well written you don’t realize just how deep it is.
With that being said, there isn’t much character development beyond the basic information given to create the main players. I know that’s an odd thing to write after so many glowing words above but it is a bit of a lack – it doesn’t overly detract from this particular tale due to what it is, although I would have liked to know more about Florrie and Louise’s mom, Ethel. And her father for that matter. It is a page turner though and definitely worth reading.
4.5
September 17, 2017
"Women Enters Left" is the story of two different road trips taken a couple decades apart. In the 1930s, Florrie and Ethel have already been friends for about forever. They are leaving their jobs behind to go to the West Coast where she hopes to land a job in Hollywood. Decades later, Louise is running away from her life as an actress as she tries to put together why she has just inherited the estate of Florrie, a screenwriter that she barely knew. She will go on another, vastly different road trip. Filled with family secrets, this is a good story with a lot of twists and turns.
I loved the characters in this book. I was especially drawn to Florrie and Ethel and the story between them. They have a lot of history together being childhood friends and former co-workers. A large part of their story has to do with their former careers as "radium girls." This affects everything from their relationships and how they pan out to the more forward medical difficulties that really affect the story line. It is sad and fascinating and these characters give a face to the large amount of women that faced difficulties because of the radium.
The setting was great too! Who doesn't love the open road? I loved the juxtaposition between Florrie and Ethel's trip and Louise's trip. They both have very different feelings even though the setting is alike. They stop in different places. They figure out things in different ways but I really liked the road trip acting as a common thread between the two story lines. It made me want to jump in my car and go somewhere!
The writing of the book was good! One of the things that I liked the best is that the book is not only told through narrative but through journal entries, letters between characters, and other "found" items that really helped the characters feel real. As the author explains in her Author's Note, you really are able to get a sense of people from these "found" items. You know what makes them tick. You learn what they think of themselves through journal entries. You learn how they interact with others through their letters. It's little bits of themselves. This book allows you to put all of those things together yourself, which was sort of a neat experience as a reader.
Overall, this was a good story and I'm looking forward to more by Jessica Brockmole!
I loved the characters in this book. I was especially drawn to Florrie and Ethel and the story between them. They have a lot of history together being childhood friends and former co-workers. A large part of their story has to do with their former careers as "radium girls." This affects everything from their relationships and how they pan out to the more forward medical difficulties that really affect the story line. It is sad and fascinating and these characters give a face to the large amount of women that faced difficulties because of the radium.
The setting was great too! Who doesn't love the open road? I loved the juxtaposition between Florrie and Ethel's trip and Louise's trip. They both have very different feelings even though the setting is alike. They stop in different places. They figure out things in different ways but I really liked the road trip acting as a common thread between the two story lines. It made me want to jump in my car and go somewhere!
The writing of the book was good! One of the things that I liked the best is that the book is not only told through narrative but through journal entries, letters between characters, and other "found" items that really helped the characters feel real. As the author explains in her Author's Note, you really are able to get a sense of people from these "found" items. You know what makes them tick. You learn what they think of themselves through journal entries. You learn how they interact with others through their letters. It's little bits of themselves. This book allows you to put all of those things together yourself, which was sort of a neat experience as a reader.
Overall, this was a good story and I'm looking forward to more by Jessica Brockmole!
November 8, 2023
Woman Enters Left took me totally by surprise. I was expecting your typical Hollywood-esque novel about a young starlet and her frustrations as she made her gradual rise through the studio system (this was the first time I didn’t read the synopsis). Of course, that aspect was present, but there was so much more to the story. The plot centers around movie star, Louise Wilde, who has suddenly inherited the estate of a Hollywood screenwriter she has barely met, but who was quite close to her mother. Chapters volley back and forth between 1926 and 1952, with the former era told through journal entries kept by Florence “Florrie” Daniels (the screenwriter) and Louise’s mother, Ethel. The author has pitted three strong female characters against a backdrop of various turning points, including Hollywood’s contract system, HUAC, radium dial painters, and a time when certain affections between people were frowned upon. Also, Jessica Brockmole’s quick, staccato writing style propels the pages along at brisk, but also unhurried pace, choosing just the right turn of phrase to speak volumes with the least amount of words. Woman Enters Left is by turns a love story, a road novel, and a journey of self-discovery well worth the reader’s time.
February 22, 2018
"Stop worrying about your lines. There's no script for life, my girl."
"There has to be," she insists.
"Nope. No choreography. No blocking. No score. You improvise and ad-lib and hope you have the right co-stars."
2.5 stars
This book... Sometimes I thought that there had been two authors working on this. One talented, the other... well, let's just say that instruction manuals need writing, too.
The story of Florrie and Eth was inredibly touching and even had me in tears. It was wonderfully written and even though it was mostly setting up tents on campgrounds and car rides, I still was anxious to get trough those pages. <1>4/5 stars
AL's story... was as dry as sand. Although AL was constantly going through stuff I felt nothing but boredom. It only got better when the two stories finally kind of were woven together in the end. 1/5 stars
December 24, 2020
I can't believe I didn't read this one sooner! No matter, better late than never. Here's my full review:
http://tcl-bookreviews.com/2020/12/18...
http://tcl-bookreviews.com/2020/12/18...
July 6, 2022
No me he podido enamorar más de este libro. Es como si mezclas Thelma y Louise con Los siete maridos de Evelyn Hugo y además le añades x1000 de feminismo y una historia real de telón de fondo. Simplemente increíble esta historia.
June 13, 2018
Book club selection for my group. I did find her characters colorful and the dialogue engaging at times, however, I felt the author tried to cover too many topics all in one novel. Some of it interested me, some didn’t. It would have helped if the author titled each chapter by the character as well, not just the year. Jumping around from time-frame and character viewpoints interspersed with a lot of dialogue did not help the flow of the read, but for the most part, kept my interest.
The author threw a lot at the reader. Social and political issues, same-sex attraction, (which seems so prevalent in many novels these days) PTSD for war-vets, blacklisting in 1950’s Hollywood film industry, and radium poisoning, a result of exposure when women worked in factories during the war. I found that part interesting, but none of these issues were explored with any depth. As if that wasn’t enough there are journal entries (diary) and letters going back and forth.
It was an unusual read with interesting main characters, but it may have had a better impact if she’s narrowed the focus of this story. Still a fast and entertaining read for me, but left me feeling sad and perplexed.
The author threw a lot at the reader. Social and political issues, same-sex attraction, (which seems so prevalent in many novels these days) PTSD for war-vets, blacklisting in 1950’s Hollywood film industry, and radium poisoning, a result of exposure when women worked in factories during the war. I found that part interesting, but none of these issues were explored with any depth. As if that wasn’t enough there are journal entries (diary) and letters going back and forth.
It was an unusual read with interesting main characters, but it may have had a better impact if she’s narrowed the focus of this story. Still a fast and entertaining read for me, but left me feeling sad and perplexed.
Read
July 3, 2017Sadly I keep getting lost in the back and forth and journal entries with this one. It's a DNF for now any way :(
September 2, 2018
Well Letters from Skye was amazing, At The Edge of Summer was incredible and now this book is another standing ovation for Jessica.
The plot, description, details, how she build the characters and her writing style is perfect and unique. This book is something else, Eth and F and C and the way she mixes with Al and Arnie brought tears to my eyes, but I also laughed, and now they have a place in my heart. Cheers for the bravest women!
I’ll be waiting your next surprise.
The plot, description, details, how she build the characters and her writing style is perfect and unique. This book is something else, Eth and F and C and the way she mixes with Al and Arnie brought tears to my eyes, but I also laughed, and now they have a place in my heart. Cheers for the bravest women!
I’ll be waiting your next surprise.
November 2, 2019
This book by Brockmore was a terrific read. 1952 in Hollywood, and actress Louise inherits an apartment from Florrie, a scriptwriter she hardly new, who she discovers knew her mother who died when Louise was a child. 1926, and Ethel discovers her husband has left her taking their daughter with him. The very same day her old friend Florrie reappears after a seven year absence and the two women embark on a road trip to Nevada to try and persuade Ethel's husband to come home. Along the way they discover their country and what their relationship really means. It's a beautiful read.
April 11, 2018
An author I highly recommend. Enjoyed all her books and look forward to the next one.
September 22, 2017
Find my full review at http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.
I absolutely adored Jessica Brockmole's debut novel, Letters from Skye, when I read it a number of years ago. It was the first epistolary novel I can remember reading that just completely captivated me and brought the characters and the Isle of Skye to vivid life. While I haven't yet read her sophomore novel, At the Edge of Summer, I've been wanting to for some time and didn't want to miss the chance on this newest book, Woman Enters Left, when the blog tour was announced. So I jumped on board and I'm so glad I did!
Woman Enters Left is really two stories in one - that of film star Louise Wilde in 1952 and that of friends Florrie and Ethel in 1926. I say it's really two stories because each is so well developed and detailed that I sometimes forgot that they were even connected through mother (Ethel) and daughter (Louise). Louise's story is narrative in style, describing her journey across the country and her search for truth and self, while Florrie and Ethel's adventure is told in journal entries, grocery lists and notes and, later, letters, medical records, and court documents. I really loved having these two stories that seemed, in broad theme, to be very similar, told in such different and unique ways. Even the actual drives are very different - Louise's is relatively comfortable and stylish - in my mind she looks very much like the woman on the cover! - while Florrie and Ethel are camping outside, under lean-to tents, and trying to mask pain, both physical and emotional, from each other. Even with these differences each woman is searching for the same thing - honesty, love, and hope that what they truly desire will become easier to see and, in a perfect world, attainable.
The time periods and situations are wonderfully brought to life in each story as well. It is so easy to picture the Hollywood heyday that Louise lives within, a filmy glamour that hides sexism and ugliness not far below the surface. We also get to see the aftermath of war through Louise's husband, who has just arrived back from the Korean War and is still dealing - or not dealing - with trying to get back to normal life with the addition of an injury that has put him in a wheelchair. I love this juxtaposition of glitz and glamour with heartache and unseemliness. In our other storyline, we have, on the surface, two friends on a great adventure across the country - one reaching towards a fulfilling career and one reaching towards family - while hidden below this surface is unrequited love and great illness brought about when both of these women worked together painting luminous dials on watches that, unbeknownst to them, was giving them radium poisoning. I was only vaguely aware of Radium Girls before reading this story but I found this aspect to be quite fascinating. I also became quite taken with both Florrie and Ethel and hurt along with them as they tried to find their own happiness in the midst of some devastating realities.
While these two stories are quite separated, there is still the connection between Ethel and Louise and it kind of broke my heart watching both, in their own timelines, trying so desperately to find each other (Ethel literally and Louise figuratively). Louise's search for the truth of what happened to her mother and why her father took her away (leading to Ethel's journey with Florrie) was bittersweet but what it did do was give her time to figure out her own life and what she wanted from it. It also led to a wonderful, heartfelt ending that I absolutely loved.
I can't say enough about Woman Enters Left. It is such a uniquely told story that captures what it means to search for love, meaning, and happiness in life. Highly recommended!
I absolutely adored Jessica Brockmole's debut novel, Letters from Skye, when I read it a number of years ago. It was the first epistolary novel I can remember reading that just completely captivated me and brought the characters and the Isle of Skye to vivid life. While I haven't yet read her sophomore novel, At the Edge of Summer, I've been wanting to for some time and didn't want to miss the chance on this newest book, Woman Enters Left, when the blog tour was announced. So I jumped on board and I'm so glad I did!
Woman Enters Left is really two stories in one - that of film star Louise Wilde in 1952 and that of friends Florrie and Ethel in 1926. I say it's really two stories because each is so well developed and detailed that I sometimes forgot that they were even connected through mother (Ethel) and daughter (Louise). Louise's story is narrative in style, describing her journey across the country and her search for truth and self, while Florrie and Ethel's adventure is told in journal entries, grocery lists and notes and, later, letters, medical records, and court documents. I really loved having these two stories that seemed, in broad theme, to be very similar, told in such different and unique ways. Even the actual drives are very different - Louise's is relatively comfortable and stylish - in my mind she looks very much like the woman on the cover! - while Florrie and Ethel are camping outside, under lean-to tents, and trying to mask pain, both physical and emotional, from each other. Even with these differences each woman is searching for the same thing - honesty, love, and hope that what they truly desire will become easier to see and, in a perfect world, attainable.
The time periods and situations are wonderfully brought to life in each story as well. It is so easy to picture the Hollywood heyday that Louise lives within, a filmy glamour that hides sexism and ugliness not far below the surface. We also get to see the aftermath of war through Louise's husband, who has just arrived back from the Korean War and is still dealing - or not dealing - with trying to get back to normal life with the addition of an injury that has put him in a wheelchair. I love this juxtaposition of glitz and glamour with heartache and unseemliness. In our other storyline, we have, on the surface, two friends on a great adventure across the country - one reaching towards a fulfilling career and one reaching towards family - while hidden below this surface is unrequited love and great illness brought about when both of these women worked together painting luminous dials on watches that, unbeknownst to them, was giving them radium poisoning. I was only vaguely aware of Radium Girls before reading this story but I found this aspect to be quite fascinating. I also became quite taken with both Florrie and Ethel and hurt along with them as they tried to find their own happiness in the midst of some devastating realities.
While these two stories are quite separated, there is still the connection between Ethel and Louise and it kind of broke my heart watching both, in their own timelines, trying so desperately to find each other (Ethel literally and Louise figuratively). Louise's search for the truth of what happened to her mother and why her father took her away (leading to Ethel's journey with Florrie) was bittersweet but what it did do was give her time to figure out her own life and what she wanted from it. It also led to a wonderful, heartfelt ending that I absolutely loved.
I can't say enough about Woman Enters Left. It is such a uniquely told story that captures what it means to search for love, meaning, and happiness in life. Highly recommended!
April 22, 2017
I've enjoyed this author's work in the past and was excited about this novel. It fell a little short for me, however. First of all, the alternating POVs was very jarring. The modern-day heroine switching to the past was fine, but the switching journals between the two women in the past...not easy. You have to pay close attention to whether the journal starts with a date or a day and remember who is which. Only until one woman mentions the other did I figure it out half the time and even then I was going, "Wait a min... F or E..which one was who?"
The modern heroine...what was the point? I saw the point of the past. The radium, the struggle folks with same-sex attraction had with each other. The modern story was about...well, an actress wanting to be taken seriously, a husband in a wheelchair, and something about some committee that was always in the background hovering and threatening those with communist leanings. Honestly, there wasn't enough of the latter sides to make me understand or see the point of it. Give me enough to form a conclusion or learn something or don't put it in the tale at all.
In the end, I'm just on the fence with this one.
The modern heroine...what was the point? I saw the point of the past. The radium, the struggle folks with same-sex attraction had with each other. The modern story was about...well, an actress wanting to be taken seriously, a husband in a wheelchair, and something about some committee that was always in the background hovering and threatening those with communist leanings. Honestly, there wasn't enough of the latter sides to make me understand or see the point of it. Give me enough to form a conclusion or learn something or don't put it in the tale at all.
In the end, I'm just on the fence with this one.
May 11, 2017
Woman Enters Left is a charming book. Louise Wilde is an actress in Hollywood circa 1950's. Her story is interspersed with her mother's 1920's journey from her home in New Jersey to the west. She's traveling with her formerly estranged best friend who's heading to California with dreams of making a name for herself as a screen writer. Louise is troubled about her marriage and her career and the further east she drive the more she contemplates her parents' marriage which brings up lots of memories both good and sad.
Brockmole's style seems light and breezy even when dealing with tragedy that it's hard to put the book down. The chapters alternate between the mother and he daughter and it's hard not to read just one more chapter.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance readers copy.
Brockmole's style seems light and breezy even when dealing with tragedy that it's hard to put the book down. The chapters alternate between the mother and he daughter and it's hard not to read just one more chapter.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance readers copy.
April 7, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I loved it!! I really liked this author's other book, "Letters from Skye", and found myself just as engrossed in this book. I loved the characters and the story line and was never bored. It's nice to read a novel from these time periods that is based in America, and the story line itself is timeless and optimistic.
September 19, 2017
Before I started the blog, I read Jessica Brockmole's Letter from Skye which I absolutely loved. I thought it was so clever as the entire romantic love story was told through letters. I saw her at the Edinburgh Book Festival that year and really enjoyed listening to her talk about the book. So I was really pleased to be offered the opportunity to read her latest novel, Woman Enters Left.
Woman Enters Left tells the connected stories of Ethel and Florrie in the 1920s and Ethel's daughter in the 1950s. Ethel and Florrie are making a long cross-continent road trip to Nevada and ultimately Hollywood. They had been childhood friends though that friendship had drifted when Ethel married. Florrie is heading to Hollywood to start a film career while Ethel is hoping to meet up with her husband in Nevada and convince him not to divorce her. Thirty years or so later, Ethel's daughter Anna Louise, also an actress, is confused to find she has inherited now famous film star Florrie's estate. She was unaware of any connection between herself and the actress and is even more confused when she finds photos of her mother with Ethel. Her own marriage is in difficulty, her career at a bit of a crossroads and her relationship with her father rather distant. She too makes a cross-country road trip unknowingly following a similar route in reverse.
Diary entries, film scripts, letters and straightforward narrative tell the story of these women and their journeys. I found it a really enjoyable read as I became fascinated by the lives of all the women. At first I found the diary entries from the earlier story a little confusing, I wasn't sure which woman was writing which part. This might have been because I was reading a Kindle version, it may have been clearer in a print edition. However, I soon got into the rhythm and actually enjoyed this part most. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the story of Louise in the 1950s section as this was also compelling, particularly when it explored the relationship between her and her injured war veteran husband.
Appropriately, given the title and the acting careers of Florrie and Louise, there was a very glamorous cinematic feel to the book. This was enhanced of course by the inclusion of sections of film script. It is a very visual book with the clothes and setting particularly well depicted. I could easily imagine the opening chapter as the sweeping opening scene from a Hollywood film, one full of glamour. The long road trips undertaken by the women also gave a great sense of setting with descriptions of the open road ahead, the small towns, the cars, the difficulties the women faced all adding to the atmospheric scenes. Themes explored included love and forbidden love, with that forbidden love more openly shown in the film scripts.
I particularly enjoyed the closing chapters summing up the story through letters which I found reminiscent of Letters to Skye. Jessica Brockmole is skilled at writing in such a way that her readers can glean so much from these letters and work out what has happened yet been left unsaid. I really cared about the characters and felt for their sadnesses and worries, their hopes and dream. Woman Enters Left is an elegantly written novel which I very much enjoyed.
Woman Enters Left tells the connected stories of Ethel and Florrie in the 1920s and Ethel's daughter in the 1950s. Ethel and Florrie are making a long cross-continent road trip to Nevada and ultimately Hollywood. They had been childhood friends though that friendship had drifted when Ethel married. Florrie is heading to Hollywood to start a film career while Ethel is hoping to meet up with her husband in Nevada and convince him not to divorce her. Thirty years or so later, Ethel's daughter Anna Louise, also an actress, is confused to find she has inherited now famous film star Florrie's estate. She was unaware of any connection between herself and the actress and is even more confused when she finds photos of her mother with Ethel. Her own marriage is in difficulty, her career at a bit of a crossroads and her relationship with her father rather distant. She too makes a cross-country road trip unknowingly following a similar route in reverse.
Diary entries, film scripts, letters and straightforward narrative tell the story of these women and their journeys. I found it a really enjoyable read as I became fascinated by the lives of all the women. At first I found the diary entries from the earlier story a little confusing, I wasn't sure which woman was writing which part. This might have been because I was reading a Kindle version, it may have been clearer in a print edition. However, I soon got into the rhythm and actually enjoyed this part most. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the story of Louise in the 1950s section as this was also compelling, particularly when it explored the relationship between her and her injured war veteran husband.
Appropriately, given the title and the acting careers of Florrie and Louise, there was a very glamorous cinematic feel to the book. This was enhanced of course by the inclusion of sections of film script. It is a very visual book with the clothes and setting particularly well depicted. I could easily imagine the opening chapter as the sweeping opening scene from a Hollywood film, one full of glamour. The long road trips undertaken by the women also gave a great sense of setting with descriptions of the open road ahead, the small towns, the cars, the difficulties the women faced all adding to the atmospheric scenes. Themes explored included love and forbidden love, with that forbidden love more openly shown in the film scripts.
I particularly enjoyed the closing chapters summing up the story through letters which I found reminiscent of Letters to Skye. Jessica Brockmole is skilled at writing in such a way that her readers can glean so much from these letters and work out what has happened yet been left unsaid. I really cared about the characters and felt for their sadnesses and worries, their hopes and dream. Woman Enters Left is an elegantly written novel which I very much enjoyed.
September 18, 2017
In the 1950's, movie star Louise Wilde is caught between an unfulfilling acting career and a shaky marriage when she receives an out-of-the-blue phone call: She has inherited the estate of Florence "Florrie" Daniels, a Hollywood screenwriter she barely recalls meeting. Among Florrie's belongings are several unproduced screenplays, personal journals, and -- inexplicably-- old photographs of Louise's mother, Ethel. On an impulse, Louise passes up a film shoot in Las Vegas and sets off for her fathers house on the East Coast, hoping for answers about the curious inheritance and, perhaps, about her own troubled marriage.
Ethel and Florrie have been best friends since they were 10 years old. As young women during the First World War they take a job in a factory painting luminous dials on wristwatches. The paint they used was made with radium and mesothorium, which gave the dial the coveted glow needed in the dark battlefield. The women would put the tips of the paint brushes in their mouth to get a precise point to paint with, therefore ingesting the chemicals.
The story follows Florrie and Ethel during the mid 1920's and Louise during the mid 1950's. Florrie and Ethel take a road trip from New Jersey to Nevada in a Model T, while Louise is traveling alone from Hollywood to New Jersey.
I really liked this book. I want to go on a road trip.
Ethel and Florrie have been best friends since they were 10 years old. As young women during the First World War they take a job in a factory painting luminous dials on wristwatches. The paint they used was made with radium and mesothorium, which gave the dial the coveted glow needed in the dark battlefield. The women would put the tips of the paint brushes in their mouth to get a precise point to paint with, therefore ingesting the chemicals.
The story follows Florrie and Ethel during the mid 1920's and Louise during the mid 1950's. Florrie and Ethel take a road trip from New Jersey to Nevada in a Model T, while Louise is traveling alone from Hollywood to New Jersey.
I really liked this book. I want to go on a road trip.
September 30, 2017
Woman Enters Left takes readers along for the ride in this original, cleverly written, poignant story of two very different road trips, each of them a journey of discovery. In 1926, Ethel and Florrie head west from Newark to Nevada; two old friends who rediscover their deep friendship while revealing secrets both startling and terrifying. In 1952, movie star Louise Wilde sets off for the East Coast, after she receives an inheritance which includes pictures of her mother, who died when she was six. Looking for answers about her mother, and coming to terms with a career and marriage that are both floundering, Louise embarks on her own road trip. The stories of the three women and Louise’s Dad, Carl, are told with humor and heart. Jessica Brockmole makes use of journals, grocery lists, and letters to enhance the telling of this story. Who knew that a grocery list could be so compelling, but those lists enhanced the story and revealed so much about the characters. The three women truly come to life on the pages of this book; their talents, their foibles, their desires, their dreams, their hearts.
March 29, 2019
4.5 stars. Absolutely NOT what I was expecting at all. I was thinking this would be a mindless, fluffy Hollywood novel and it was not at all.
This book takes us back into the twenties after the First World War. The girls who had painted the dials on the watches used by the soldiers were suddenly coming down with unusual illnesses—anemia, teeth loss, spontaneously broken bones. They’re dubbed “The Radium Girls”.
The novel follows two of this girls as they travel across the country from New Jersey to Nevada. In a separate timeline, we follow Louise, daughter of one of the radium girls, years later when she is traveling in the opposite direction... LA to New Jersey. She discovers important facts about her mother’s history that affect her present.
I would definitely give this a read if you like historical fiction at all.
This book takes us back into the twenties after the First World War. The girls who had painted the dials on the watches used by the soldiers were suddenly coming down with unusual illnesses—anemia, teeth loss, spontaneously broken bones. They’re dubbed “The Radium Girls”.
The novel follows two of this girls as they travel across the country from New Jersey to Nevada. In a separate timeline, we follow Louise, daughter of one of the radium girls, years later when she is traveling in the opposite direction... LA to New Jersey. She discovers important facts about her mother’s history that affect her present.
I would definitely give this a read if you like historical fiction at all.
June 19, 2018
Quick read about a young Hollywood actress in the early 50’s who begins to drive east in an effort to find out about her mother and to learn more about herself.
Interesting characters but underdeveloped, especially her father, Carl.
Interesting characters but underdeveloped, especially her father, Carl.
May 16, 2019
Good story, I didn’t fall head over heels but I throughly enjoyed myself.
February 21, 2025
boring, predictable, cliché
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June 15, 2018This was a really good book, although a bit sad and depressing. I had hope for a happy ending. You will have to read it to find out. Worth reading for sure. A lot of research was done to pull this interesting historical novel together.
June 12, 2019
I liked the journal entries, grocery lists, and menus. Plus, I want some of that greasy spoon diner food.
August 17, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was a wonderful read. I thought the setup of the book helped to keep the stories straight. The journal entries kept the 1930s time period separate from the rest of the story. I didn't have any trouble following this format. All of the characters were very well developed and I connected to them easily. I felt like I was traveling the road with them. It was interesting to read the history of divorce dude ranches and radium factories. I didn't want to put the book down towards the ending. It will make you want to map out a road trip of your own.
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