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A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald
From New York Times bestselling author Natasha Lester comes a deliciously evocative love story of a small-town girl with big ambitions in 1920s New York, for fans of The Paris Wife and A Novel of Zelda FitzgeraldIt's the roaring twenties in the Manhattan of gin, jazz and prosperity. Women wear makeup and hitched hemlines and enjoy a new freedom to vote and work. Not so for Evelyn Lockhart, who is forbidden from pursuing her passion to become one of the first female doctors. Chasing her dream will mean turning her back on her her competitive sister, Viola; her conservative parents; and the childhood best friend she is expected to marry, Charlie.In a desperate attempt to support herself through Columbia University's medical school, Evie auditions for the infamous late-night Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway. But if she gets the part, what will it mean for her fledgling relationship with Upper East Side banker Thomas Whitman - a man Evie thinks she could fall in love with, if only she lived a life less scandalous . . .Captivating, romantic and tragic, A KISS FROM MR FITZGERALD follows a young woman ahead of her time amid the fragile hearts and glamour of Jazz Age New York.INCLUDES BONUS SNEAK PEEK CHAPTER OF NATASHA LESTER'S Her Mother's SecretSelected by Dymocks as one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2016'If you're mad about the roaring twenties and love all things Gatsby, this romance will have you enchanted.' Woman's Day'I loved this book.' Rachael Johns, bestselling author of THE PATTERSON GIRLS'A glamorous, transporting read.' Woman's Weekly 'Stunning . . . Will have you captivated . . . Evie's story is one you won't forget.' Liz Byrski, bestselling author'Evelyn's story is full of drama, heartbreak and determination, and the setting of Manhattan in the early 20s is brought to glorious vivid life. I particularly loved the scenes when Evelyn was fighting to be allowed to study medicine - they rang really true for me' Kate Forsyth'At the novel's heart is the sparkling Evie, an endearing combination of intelligence, determination and naivety.' West Australian'I'm calling it, Natasha Lester is our generation's Louisa May Alcott.' Tess Woods, award-winning author of LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT'Remarkable, intelligent and heartfelt . . . one of the best Australian fiction releases of the year.' J. F. Gibson'I absolutely adored Natasha Lester's book! What a GEM!' Sara Foster, bestselling author'A thoughtful and engaging read, A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald explores the true meaning of sacrifice and the importance of maintaining one's integrity in the face of adversity.' Books+Publishing'A daring, captivating and tragic story told with charm, wit and more than a touch of Fitzgerald glamour.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2016
221 people are currently reading
4842 people want to read
About the author
Natasha Lester
18 books3,452 followersNatasha Lester is the multi-award winning and New York Times best-selling author of THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS, THE PARIS ORPHAN, THE PARIS SECRET and THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ASTRID BRICARD. Her new book, THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE, the story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the only female leader of a French Resistance network in WWII, is coming in April 2025.
Prior to writing, she worked as a marketing executive for L’Oreal, managing the Maybelline brand, before returning to university to study creative writing.
Natasha's books have been translated into twenty-one different languages and are published all around the world. She lives in Perth, Western Australia with her 3 children and loves fashion history, practising the art of fashion illustration, collecting vintage fashion, travelling and, of course, books.
Prior to writing, she worked as a marketing executive for L’Oreal, managing the Maybelline brand, before returning to university to study creative writing.
Natasha's books have been translated into twenty-one different languages and are published all around the world. She lives in Perth, Western Australia with her 3 children and loves fashion history, practising the art of fashion illustration, collecting vintage fashion, travelling and, of course, books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 376 reviews
December 23, 2017
I agonised over which book to read first in 2017, given the multitude options. I'm glad to report I've picked a very enjoyable novel, that I gobbled up over two days.
Young, feisty Evie Lockhart, wants to do more with her life than just be a wife and a lady of society. There weren't many options for well-to-do girls in the 1920's America. Fate has a way of showing Evie what she should do with her life. With the help of her nice neighbour and potential mother-in-law, Mrs Whitman, she ends up going to New York where she attends summer school in order to become suitably educated to get into medical school. She encounters all sort of obstacles, starting with her family's disapproval, society, male students and teachers and not in the least, her would-be fiance. But Evie is determined.
One of her biggest supporters is Thomas Whitman, her boyfriend's older brother. Despite only meeting a few times, they develop a great relationship, as Thomas seems to really get what she's about. Of course, life is never that easy. All sort of complications ensues. The relationship has ups and downs. You won't be surprised to hear that there is a happy ending.
Unsurprisingly, the thing I enjoyed the most about this novel was that our main heroine was a woman ahead of her time. Also, like many others, I enjoy reading stories set in the crazy 20's.
The love story was nice, but I didn't quite feel the passion.
Regardless, this was a great companion over two long summer days.
Recommended
This will go towards the Aussie Author Challenge 2017 http://bookloverbookreviews.com/readi...)
Young, feisty Evie Lockhart, wants to do more with her life than just be a wife and a lady of society. There weren't many options for well-to-do girls in the 1920's America. Fate has a way of showing Evie what she should do with her life. With the help of her nice neighbour and potential mother-in-law, Mrs Whitman, she ends up going to New York where she attends summer school in order to become suitably educated to get into medical school. She encounters all sort of obstacles, starting with her family's disapproval, society, male students and teachers and not in the least, her would-be fiance. But Evie is determined.
One of her biggest supporters is Thomas Whitman, her boyfriend's older brother. Despite only meeting a few times, they develop a great relationship, as Thomas seems to really get what she's about. Of course, life is never that easy. All sort of complications ensues. The relationship has ups and downs. You won't be surprised to hear that there is a happy ending.
Unsurprisingly, the thing I enjoyed the most about this novel was that our main heroine was a woman ahead of her time. Also, like many others, I enjoy reading stories set in the crazy 20's.
The love story was nice, but I didn't quite feel the passion.
Regardless, this was a great companion over two long summer days.
Recommended
This will go towards the Aussie Author Challenge 2017 http://bookloverbookreviews.com/readi...)
August 25, 2016
What a wonderful story! A story I didn’t want to end.
Once you start reading you will not want to put this book down!
From the manors of Concord to the speakeasies of Manhattan, Evie dances her way to a doctor’s degree.
”She was doing what she wanted to do, living the life she chose to live, not the life someone else had chosen for her.”
But could a spurned suitor take everything she had battled for away from her?
This is a story of high society, secrets, lies, blackmail, misunderstandings and deathly tension.
Evie is the main character and Lester has been careful not to overshadow her with the delectable Thomas Whitman or, his mother, the delightful Mrs Whitman. It’s hard not to fall in love with these characters but the supporting characters are just that, coming in and out of the story to support or deter Evie where needed.
”Even if she could do it, did she have the strength to go against everyone’s wishes, to create a life for herself that was so different to what everyone expected of her.”
Not many, even in this day, would have the internal strength to forsake everything to follow their dream.
Evie’s story will lift your heart then send it crashing back down!
If you love to read Historical Fiction I highly recommend “A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald”
With my thanks to Hachette Aust for my copy to read and review.
Once you start reading you will not want to put this book down!
From the manors of Concord to the speakeasies of Manhattan, Evie dances her way to a doctor’s degree.
”She was doing what she wanted to do, living the life she chose to live, not the life someone else had chosen for her.”
But could a spurned suitor take everything she had battled for away from her?
This is a story of high society, secrets, lies, blackmail, misunderstandings and deathly tension.
Evie is the main character and Lester has been careful not to overshadow her with the delectable Thomas Whitman or, his mother, the delightful Mrs Whitman. It’s hard not to fall in love with these characters but the supporting characters are just that, coming in and out of the story to support or deter Evie where needed.
”Even if she could do it, did she have the strength to go against everyone’s wishes, to create a life for herself that was so different to what everyone expected of her.”
Not many, even in this day, would have the internal strength to forsake everything to follow their dream.
Evie’s story will lift your heart then send it crashing back down!
If you love to read Historical Fiction I highly recommend “A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald”
With my thanks to Hachette Aust for my copy to read and review.
November 19, 2016
Since reading A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald, I have been trying to gather my thoughts together to write a review that will do this book justice. As the year draws to a close, I would have to say that A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald is my top pick for the best historical fiction novel of 2016.
Why do I rate this book so highly? Well it has a lot to do with a combination of the book’s features that click together in such a fashion that it just works so well. The main character of Lester’s novel is perhaps the overwhelming reason why I fell in love with this novel. Evelyn “Evie” Lockhart is a woman ahead of her time. A tragic medical incident that plays out near her home, involving a fallen young woman and the loss of an innocent newborn, strengthens Evie’s resolve to help these women. Virtually unheard at the time, Evie embarks on a career to become a doctor, hoping to specialise as an obstetrician. Evie’s story highlights the restrictions placed on women in the 1920’s era in which the novel is set. Evie faces struggle at every corner. She faces difficulty in simply trying to be accepted as a legitimate student at medical school, as well as to support herself financially. This leads Evie to embark upon another standout layer of the story that I enjoyed immensely. Evie becomes one of the Ziegfeld Follies by night, dancing and entertaining to pay her way at university. A beautiful love story also plays out in A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. The burgeoning romance between Evie and Thomas Whitman, a successful city banker, literally swept me off me feet. Scandal, glamour, complicated pathways to love and ambition characterises this stunning historical novel.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is an exquisite novel. I felt it was a book that succeeds in breaking the mould, delivering a ground breaking story of a woman who tries and succeeds, at achieving her dreams. There is no doubt that Lester has researched the aspects that informs her novel meticulously. Prior to reading this novel, I knew little about female doctors making their mark in the 1920’s. I also had not come across the Ziegfeld Follies. This was a highly captivating part of the novel for me.
Setting is a true strength in A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. I welcomed the lavish and detailed descriptions of life in 1920’s New York and in the 1920’s as a whole. Lester’s prose is assured and it guides the reader through the stunning setting backdrop with perfect ease.
As I mentioned above, what makes A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald a magical piece of historical literature, is the character of Evie Lockhart. She is easy to fall in love with. I admired her drive and steep determination to make a difference to women’s lives. I also loved that this character had a vulnerable side, which Lester explores at many points in the novel. The characters who support Evie along her journey all served an important purpose in the whole direction of the novel. Each of these characters somehow manage to capture my heart in their own special ways.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is an elegant and eloquent piece of historical fiction that I devoured from cover to cover. It is completely deserving of a five star rating and I highly recommend this novel to lovers of the historical fiction genre.
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Why do I rate this book so highly? Well it has a lot to do with a combination of the book’s features that click together in such a fashion that it just works so well. The main character of Lester’s novel is perhaps the overwhelming reason why I fell in love with this novel. Evelyn “Evie” Lockhart is a woman ahead of her time. A tragic medical incident that plays out near her home, involving a fallen young woman and the loss of an innocent newborn, strengthens Evie’s resolve to help these women. Virtually unheard at the time, Evie embarks on a career to become a doctor, hoping to specialise as an obstetrician. Evie’s story highlights the restrictions placed on women in the 1920’s era in which the novel is set. Evie faces struggle at every corner. She faces difficulty in simply trying to be accepted as a legitimate student at medical school, as well as to support herself financially. This leads Evie to embark upon another standout layer of the story that I enjoyed immensely. Evie becomes one of the Ziegfeld Follies by night, dancing and entertaining to pay her way at university. A beautiful love story also plays out in A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. The burgeoning romance between Evie and Thomas Whitman, a successful city banker, literally swept me off me feet. Scandal, glamour, complicated pathways to love and ambition characterises this stunning historical novel.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is an exquisite novel. I felt it was a book that succeeds in breaking the mould, delivering a ground breaking story of a woman who tries and succeeds, at achieving her dreams. There is no doubt that Lester has researched the aspects that informs her novel meticulously. Prior to reading this novel, I knew little about female doctors making their mark in the 1920’s. I also had not come across the Ziegfeld Follies. This was a highly captivating part of the novel for me.
Setting is a true strength in A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. I welcomed the lavish and detailed descriptions of life in 1920’s New York and in the 1920’s as a whole. Lester’s prose is assured and it guides the reader through the stunning setting backdrop with perfect ease.
As I mentioned above, what makes A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald a magical piece of historical literature, is the character of Evie Lockhart. She is easy to fall in love with. I admired her drive and steep determination to make a difference to women’s lives. I also loved that this character had a vulnerable side, which Lester explores at many points in the novel. The characters who support Evie along her journey all served an important purpose in the whole direction of the novel. Each of these characters somehow manage to capture my heart in their own special ways.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is an elegant and eloquent piece of historical fiction that I devoured from cover to cover. It is completely deserving of a five star rating and I highly recommend this novel to lovers of the historical fiction genre.
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
November 28, 2019
I’ve waited quite a while to read my first Natasha Lester book, but I always knew she would be my kind of author. Her story of 1920s New York did not disappoint.
Before I jumped in, I decided to spend half an hour re-reading the short story prequel A Beautiful Dare. It’s not essential, but I’m glad I did, as it introduces the reader to the main character, Evie, the rest of the Lockhart family, the two Whitman brothers, and to Rose, the Radcliffe student who sparks Evie’s interest in studying medicine.
Moving on to the book at hand, the story begins with Evie completing her ‘ladylike’ literature degree at Radcliffe, and fully expecting to marry the literal boy-next-door, Charlie Whitman. They have an understanding, but Charlie has not yet proposed. One day while out walking with Charlie and her sister, Evie stumbles across a young woman struggling to give birth, all alone in a secluded spot by the river. Having sat in on a number of medical lectures at Harvard with her chum, Rose, Evie does what she can and finds herself having delivered her first baby! This really fires her ambitions to study medicine and specialise in obstetrics, so she can help more unfortunate women like the one down by the river.
It seems all the important people in her life are set against this idea, until an unlikely ally appears in the form of Charlie’s older brother Thomas. He encourages Evie to pursue her goals, and with the help of his mother, Evie finds herself in New York taking summer school in an attempt to ready herself for potential admission to Columbia University.
So begins Evie’s new life in New York, lightyears away from her family and former genteel life.
I don’t read a great deal of romance, but I did enjoy this one. However I’d describe it more as a romance-heavy work of historical fiction. While Evie’s relationships are integral to the story, so too is her pioneering pursuit of a medical career at a time when female doctors were rare and were looked at with suspicion. Equally important was the glitzy and glamorous 1920s New York location, where a big part of the story takes place on Broadway, with Evie supporting herself by working nights as a Ziegfeld Girl.
This story has goodies and baddies - both easy to recognise - and a huge twist towards the end that I had not even contemplated until I read it on the page. I found myself getting annoyed at the misogyny of the era, which I suppose is to the author’s credit in being able to portray it so clearly.
Highly recommended.
Before I jumped in, I decided to spend half an hour re-reading the short story prequel A Beautiful Dare. It’s not essential, but I’m glad I did, as it introduces the reader to the main character, Evie, the rest of the Lockhart family, the two Whitman brothers, and to Rose, the Radcliffe student who sparks Evie’s interest in studying medicine.
Moving on to the book at hand, the story begins with Evie completing her ‘ladylike’ literature degree at Radcliffe, and fully expecting to marry the literal boy-next-door, Charlie Whitman. They have an understanding, but Charlie has not yet proposed. One day while out walking with Charlie and her sister, Evie stumbles across a young woman struggling to give birth, all alone in a secluded spot by the river. Having sat in on a number of medical lectures at Harvard with her chum, Rose, Evie does what she can and finds herself having delivered her first baby! This really fires her ambitions to study medicine and specialise in obstetrics, so she can help more unfortunate women like the one down by the river.
It seems all the important people in her life are set against this idea, until an unlikely ally appears in the form of Charlie’s older brother Thomas. He encourages Evie to pursue her goals, and with the help of his mother, Evie finds herself in New York taking summer school in an attempt to ready herself for potential admission to Columbia University.
So begins Evie’s new life in New York, lightyears away from her family and former genteel life.
I don’t read a great deal of romance, but I did enjoy this one. However I’d describe it more as a romance-heavy work of historical fiction. While Evie’s relationships are integral to the story, so too is her pioneering pursuit of a medical career at a time when female doctors were rare and were looked at with suspicion. Equally important was the glitzy and glamorous 1920s New York location, where a big part of the story takes place on Broadway, with Evie supporting herself by working nights as a Ziegfeld Girl.
This story has goodies and baddies - both easy to recognise - and a huge twist towards the end that I had not even contemplated until I read it on the page. I found myself getting annoyed at the misogyny of the era, which I suppose is to the author’s credit in being able to portray it so clearly.
Highly recommended.
August 5, 2020
Book Review by Pauline Reid ⭐ A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald by Natasha Lester
⭐
Genre - Historical Fiction - Historical Romance - Romance
⭐
What Is This Book About
It’s 1922 in the Manhattan of gin, jazz and prosperity. Women wear makeup and hitched hemlines – and enjoy a new freedom to vote and work. Not so Evelyn Lockhart, forbidden from pursuing her passion: to become one of the first female doctors.
.
Chasing her dream will mean turning her back on the only life she knows: her competitive sister, Viola; her conservative parents; and the childhood best friend she is expected to marry, Charlie.
.
And if Evie does fight Columbia University’s medical school for acceptance, how will she support herself? So when there’s a casting call for the infamous late-night Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, will Evie find the nerve to audition? And if she does, what will it mean for her fledgling relationship with Upper East Side banker Thomas Whitman, a man Evie thinks she could fall in love with, if only she lived a life less scandalous?
⭐
What I Thought About This Book
I bought this book at a book fair a few years ago and I just noticed that this is a proof copy by Hachette New Zealand 26 April 2016, a Mothers Day Publication. This book was totally memorizing. I couldn't get enough of the authors writing, very descriptive. I would cringe at times when episodes of pure brutality of Charlie (thinking back on the engagement announcement party), his despicable urgency of misplaced lust thrown deep into Evie, like a bag of spuds, him and his manipulative skills just because of his pride, a pride bruised, battered and torn, and I wasn't liking this tow rag at all. Mr & Mrs Lockhart (Evie's parents) were none the better, I would have like to have cut them up and sell their bones, they were vile and hideous, the most horrible parents you could be sentenced with, down grading Evie at much as they could, as if they were the toffee-nosed, rich, pompous, stupidity of parents that they were. I really enjoyed living the realms of New York where streets are mentioned, for example, Fifth Avenue, Fifty-Second Street and places like Central Park. I took to you tube and found a video of a vlogger my husband and I follow and watched certain videos of walking the streets of New York City https://youtu.be/YvSfVndkRVA .... which makes more sense when you see the streets that are mentioned in this book. I also took to you tube again to find, Bugle Call Rag, which was mentioned in the story as a dance, and is true https://youtu.be/iV4iViKWRe8 .I noticed gin was the alcoholic drink of the day, followed by copious amounts of coffee.
.
There were many mini plot twists throughout this book, but the humdinger of a one was planted 20 odd pages at the end of the book that had me, stunned, taken by surprise and I thought, how did that happen? Now let's talk about Evie a little. Here she is, she wants to be an obstetrician, in an era that, "woman stayed at home and looked pretty" she had to hurl herself into a male dominated learning facility where she had to face countless rebukes, snide remarks and sometimes she felt like a piece of crumbled unironed piece of clothing, but like our ironing, that doesn't last long and she was determined to see it through and ironed out all the problems she faced, she was determined and hot.
⭐
Recommendation
This will suit anyone who is interested in New York City, especially how society was in the 1920s. Anyone interested in Historical Fiction, as there are named buildings, the High Society the Jazz scene, parties. Anyone who is into the performing dance era, as we have the famous Ziegfeld Follies... and last but by all means not least, we have the romance, a kind of a triangle that comes very frosty.
⭐
Genre - Historical Fiction - Historical Romance - Romance
⭐
What Is This Book About
It’s 1922 in the Manhattan of gin, jazz and prosperity. Women wear makeup and hitched hemlines – and enjoy a new freedom to vote and work. Not so Evelyn Lockhart, forbidden from pursuing her passion: to become one of the first female doctors.
.
Chasing her dream will mean turning her back on the only life she knows: her competitive sister, Viola; her conservative parents; and the childhood best friend she is expected to marry, Charlie.
.
And if Evie does fight Columbia University’s medical school for acceptance, how will she support herself? So when there’s a casting call for the infamous late-night Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, will Evie find the nerve to audition? And if she does, what will it mean for her fledgling relationship with Upper East Side banker Thomas Whitman, a man Evie thinks she could fall in love with, if only she lived a life less scandalous?
⭐
What I Thought About This Book
I bought this book at a book fair a few years ago and I just noticed that this is a proof copy by Hachette New Zealand 26 April 2016, a Mothers Day Publication. This book was totally memorizing. I couldn't get enough of the authors writing, very descriptive. I would cringe at times when episodes of pure brutality of Charlie (thinking back on the engagement announcement party), his despicable urgency of misplaced lust thrown deep into Evie, like a bag of spuds, him and his manipulative skills just because of his pride, a pride bruised, battered and torn, and I wasn't liking this tow rag at all. Mr & Mrs Lockhart (Evie's parents) were none the better, I would have like to have cut them up and sell their bones, they were vile and hideous, the most horrible parents you could be sentenced with, down grading Evie at much as they could, as if they were the toffee-nosed, rich, pompous, stupidity of parents that they were. I really enjoyed living the realms of New York where streets are mentioned, for example, Fifth Avenue, Fifty-Second Street and places like Central Park. I took to you tube and found a video of a vlogger my husband and I follow and watched certain videos of walking the streets of New York City https://youtu.be/YvSfVndkRVA .... which makes more sense when you see the streets that are mentioned in this book. I also took to you tube again to find, Bugle Call Rag, which was mentioned in the story as a dance, and is true https://youtu.be/iV4iViKWRe8 .I noticed gin was the alcoholic drink of the day, followed by copious amounts of coffee.
.
There were many mini plot twists throughout this book, but the humdinger of a one was planted 20 odd pages at the end of the book that had me, stunned, taken by surprise and I thought, how did that happen? Now let's talk about Evie a little. Here she is, she wants to be an obstetrician, in an era that, "woman stayed at home and looked pretty" she had to hurl herself into a male dominated learning facility where she had to face countless rebukes, snide remarks and sometimes she felt like a piece of crumbled unironed piece of clothing, but like our ironing, that doesn't last long and she was determined to see it through and ironed out all the problems she faced, she was determined and hot.
⭐
Recommendation
This will suit anyone who is interested in New York City, especially how society was in the 1920s. Anyone interested in Historical Fiction, as there are named buildings, the High Society the Jazz scene, parties. Anyone who is into the performing dance era, as we have the famous Ziegfeld Follies... and last but by all means not least, we have the romance, a kind of a triangle that comes very frosty.
April 12, 2017
4.5 ★s
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is the third book by Australian author, Natasha Lester. Evelyn Lockhart has finished college. Well, as much college as her parents believe appropriate for a woman, as much college as her father is willing to fund. After all, it’s 1922, and Evie’s ambition should be to find a husband, be a good wife and bear him children.
It has been assumed, since they were both little, that Evie will marry Charlie Whitman, heir to the Whitman banking empire, so literature and embroidery should suffice. But Evie has other ideas: she wants to do more, to be useful in more ways than just running a household. She has been to some science lectures at Radcliffe, and then a traumatic incident gives her restlessness a purpose: she will become an obstetrician.
This is, of course, impossible. A female doctor? Let alone a female obstetrician! Her parents, her sister, even Charlie try to make her accept the foolishness of her plan. Evie, however, is determined, and there are a few people who not only admire her ambition, but believe she has the requisite fortitude and persistence. Charlie’s older brother, Tommy directs her to a tutor, and his mother offers support whenever she can.
Lester’s story traces the difficult and challenging path that Evie follows to fulfil her dream. Her obstacles were manifold: she had to support herself and cover her college fees by working, despite her lack of qualifications; her job, of necessity, had to be at night so she could attend daytime classes; her teachers and colleagues denied her the chance at hands-on work; her patients were often mistrustful; and not least, she was a woman!
Lester paints her protagonist as a true heroine, one who was prepared to work hard to attain her goal, one who was willing to give up her own hopes of love for the reputation of the man she loved, one who was intent on rescuing an innocent despite the cost to her own comfort: a genuine altruist. The story includes a bit of mystery and a few twists, love and laughter, happiness and heartbreak and quite a bit of dancing. Lester’s extensive research into 1920’s New York, medical practice and hospitals is apparent in every paragraph. An inspirational read.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is the third book by Australian author, Natasha Lester. Evelyn Lockhart has finished college. Well, as much college as her parents believe appropriate for a woman, as much college as her father is willing to fund. After all, it’s 1922, and Evie’s ambition should be to find a husband, be a good wife and bear him children.
It has been assumed, since they were both little, that Evie will marry Charlie Whitman, heir to the Whitman banking empire, so literature and embroidery should suffice. But Evie has other ideas: she wants to do more, to be useful in more ways than just running a household. She has been to some science lectures at Radcliffe, and then a traumatic incident gives her restlessness a purpose: she will become an obstetrician.
This is, of course, impossible. A female doctor? Let alone a female obstetrician! Her parents, her sister, even Charlie try to make her accept the foolishness of her plan. Evie, however, is determined, and there are a few people who not only admire her ambition, but believe she has the requisite fortitude and persistence. Charlie’s older brother, Tommy directs her to a tutor, and his mother offers support whenever she can.
Lester’s story traces the difficult and challenging path that Evie follows to fulfil her dream. Her obstacles were manifold: she had to support herself and cover her college fees by working, despite her lack of qualifications; her job, of necessity, had to be at night so she could attend daytime classes; her teachers and colleagues denied her the chance at hands-on work; her patients were often mistrustful; and not least, she was a woman!
Lester paints her protagonist as a true heroine, one who was prepared to work hard to attain her goal, one who was willing to give up her own hopes of love for the reputation of the man she loved, one who was intent on rescuing an innocent despite the cost to her own comfort: a genuine altruist. The story includes a bit of mystery and a few twists, love and laughter, happiness and heartbreak and quite a bit of dancing. Lester’s extensive research into 1920’s New York, medical practice and hospitals is apparent in every paragraph. An inspirational read.
June 15, 2016
Some of the world’s most famous women (movie stars, celebrities, writers and intellectuals) were born out of the upheaval of the women’s rights movement in the 1920’s – women such as Coco Chanel, Zelda Fitzgerald, Marlene Dietrich, Edith Wharton, Amelia Earhart and Florence Sabin. In A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald, author Natasha Lester introduces us to yet another – Evelyn Lockhart who is about to prove that she’s not your average 1920’s young woman.
Although only a figment of Natasha’s imagination, Evelyn Lockhart rises up to capture the reader’s attention and convey the struggles with which the women of that time were faced and, in doing so, gives us one of the most powerful female characters I’ve ever had the chance to “meet” – so much so that I found myself living vicariously through her struggles, finding bits and pieces of myself in her character along the way.
Evie’s passion for obstetrics is fuelled after she witnesses a woman die during childbirth under some rather strange circumstances. Unfortunately for Evie, times have not yet changed and her world is still very much Victorian and one in which women are expected to merely marry, make a home and have children.
In her pursuit for freedom, it is her tenacity and ability to let nobody (including her family) steer her from the course that she has set for herself that stands her in good stead as she zealously challenges traditional values, flouting convention by abandoning the constraints of her era and becoming an object of popular adoration by joining the illustrious Ziegfield Follies while trying to finance her university studies and win the heart of one man.
It is in this quest to become an independent and liberated woman that she unexpectedly finds both a friend and an ally within the wealthy Whitman family.
I do believe I’ve found one of my favourite books for 2016 so far!
Through the incredibly well developed character of Evie, with whom we are able to both empathise and sympathise, Natasha Lester offers the reader a fascinating insight into life during the Roaring Twenties, from the hazy and sultry atmosphere of Manhattan’s speakeasies to the vibrancy of the follies on Broadway and on to the politics of the time where women had just been given the right to vote but were still deemed unsuitable for obtaining a degree in medicine, particularly gynaecology.
It’s a novel that far exceeded my expectations and it’s truly difficult to describe how well Natasha captures her setting and characters without actually reading the book. Through her deft and assured writing and impeccable eye for detail, all of her characters practically leap off the page to draw her audience into the vivid world that inhabits the elegant cover of this novel, never resorting to the clichés that are so often found amongst the genre.
Touching on the jazz age, prohibition and the many economic and social changes taking place during the period, Natasha’s third novel is historically detailed and nuanced, capturing the world of speakeasies, glamour, exuberance and glitz of the 1920’s with beauty and elegance.
Although only a figment of Natasha’s imagination, Evelyn Lockhart rises up to capture the reader’s attention and convey the struggles with which the women of that time were faced and, in doing so, gives us one of the most powerful female characters I’ve ever had the chance to “meet” – so much so that I found myself living vicariously through her struggles, finding bits and pieces of myself in her character along the way.
Evie’s passion for obstetrics is fuelled after she witnesses a woman die during childbirth under some rather strange circumstances. Unfortunately for Evie, times have not yet changed and her world is still very much Victorian and one in which women are expected to merely marry, make a home and have children.
In her pursuit for freedom, it is her tenacity and ability to let nobody (including her family) steer her from the course that she has set for herself that stands her in good stead as she zealously challenges traditional values, flouting convention by abandoning the constraints of her era and becoming an object of popular adoration by joining the illustrious Ziegfield Follies while trying to finance her university studies and win the heart of one man.
It is in this quest to become an independent and liberated woman that she unexpectedly finds both a friend and an ally within the wealthy Whitman family.
I do believe I’ve found one of my favourite books for 2016 so far!
Through the incredibly well developed character of Evie, with whom we are able to both empathise and sympathise, Natasha Lester offers the reader a fascinating insight into life during the Roaring Twenties, from the hazy and sultry atmosphere of Manhattan’s speakeasies to the vibrancy of the follies on Broadway and on to the politics of the time where women had just been given the right to vote but were still deemed unsuitable for obtaining a degree in medicine, particularly gynaecology.
It’s a novel that far exceeded my expectations and it’s truly difficult to describe how well Natasha captures her setting and characters without actually reading the book. Through her deft and assured writing and impeccable eye for detail, all of her characters practically leap off the page to draw her audience into the vivid world that inhabits the elegant cover of this novel, never resorting to the clichés that are so often found amongst the genre.
Touching on the jazz age, prohibition and the many economic and social changes taking place during the period, Natasha’s third novel is historically detailed and nuanced, capturing the world of speakeasies, glamour, exuberance and glitz of the 1920’s with beauty and elegance.
May 14, 2016
Loved it.
From the time I opened and started reading A Kiss From Mr Fitgerald, I was enchanted and found myself returning to the book every moment I could. I loved it.
It is set in the 1920's when to be a woman was a matter of making a good marriage and then raising children, attending the right parties and embroidering at home. Imagine! However Evie dreams bigger than that. An incident close to home, a very sad one, leads her to her chosen path. She decides she wants to be an obstetrician. A very unusual choice for a young woman in that era and place. Today it would be applauded, back then it was something society frowned upon.
As her parents don't support her she joins the Ziegfeld Follies and by night earns the money she needs to study and learn. It is a long hard day and night for her, yet she perseveres in the face of male opposition and prejudice. Not only that, estranged from her family and a past friend making life very difficult for her, everything seems against her. Yet there a friends who support her and see her through.
There is a mystery child that Evie becomes attached to, a man - Thomas Whitman, that she comes to love. Evie is both highly intelligent and full of love and compassion. When it comes to making choices she unselfishly puts others first. It costs.
I loved the whole historical background and what it was like for women in those days. It was rather horrifying to read of some of the childbirth practices and attitudes prevalent in that time. A woman's touch was certainly needed. I cheered Evie along all the way.
Natasha Lester has penned an absorbing, clever book, with characters that came alive off the page. I enjoyed the drama, the humour, the sadness, the romance and the time period. Fantastic read. And totally adore the cover.
From the time I opened and started reading A Kiss From Mr Fitgerald, I was enchanted and found myself returning to the book every moment I could. I loved it.
It is set in the 1920's when to be a woman was a matter of making a good marriage and then raising children, attending the right parties and embroidering at home. Imagine! However Evie dreams bigger than that. An incident close to home, a very sad one, leads her to her chosen path. She decides she wants to be an obstetrician. A very unusual choice for a young woman in that era and place. Today it would be applauded, back then it was something society frowned upon.
As her parents don't support her she joins the Ziegfeld Follies and by night earns the money she needs to study and learn. It is a long hard day and night for her, yet she perseveres in the face of male opposition and prejudice. Not only that, estranged from her family and a past friend making life very difficult for her, everything seems against her. Yet there a friends who support her and see her through.
There is a mystery child that Evie becomes attached to, a man - Thomas Whitman, that she comes to love. Evie is both highly intelligent and full of love and compassion. When it comes to making choices she unselfishly puts others first. It costs.
I loved the whole historical background and what it was like for women in those days. It was rather horrifying to read of some of the childbirth practices and attitudes prevalent in that time. A woman's touch was certainly needed. I cheered Evie along all the way.
Natasha Lester has penned an absorbing, clever book, with characters that came alive off the page. I enjoyed the drama, the humour, the sadness, the romance and the time period. Fantastic read. And totally adore the cover.
February 12, 2016
I wish I could give this book 6 stars, or even 10. When Evie Lockhart set her mind to becoming an obstetrician, despite the scruples of mid-1920s New York telling her it wasn't possible, she also set off on a journey which I think will capture the hearts and imaginations of all readers. Evie is a true heroine-- determined, self-reliant, unapologetic but kind hearted. While love may be in the cards for her, Evie's happily ever after is of her own making, and after closing this book I find myself wishing I had a little of Evie's mettle for myself.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is peopled with fascinating characters, and set in the most sumptuous of New York locations. It features laugh out loud prohibition-era turns of phrase, whip-smart dialogue and a well researched glimpse of obstetrics and medicine in the Jazz Age. It will have you laughing, crying, and reaching for your copy of The Great Gatsby.
Natasha Lester has outdone herself.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is peopled with fascinating characters, and set in the most sumptuous of New York locations. It features laugh out loud prohibition-era turns of phrase, whip-smart dialogue and a well researched glimpse of obstetrics and medicine in the Jazz Age. It will have you laughing, crying, and reaching for your copy of The Great Gatsby.
Natasha Lester has outdone herself.
February 5, 2017
A delightfully delicious love story set in decadent 1920s New York.
Headstrong, feisty Evie Lockhart faces certain social ruin when she chases her dream of becoming a doctor during a time when societal ladies were expected to be satisfied within the confines of the home. Even more shocking, is Evie's desire to become an obstetrician.
In pursuit of her dream Evie faces challenges that cut to the very core of her being.
Lester has delivered an inspiring tale of tender love and lays bare how difficult it was for women to enter the medical profession in that period of history.
Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction and I may just have fallen in love with the lush Thomas Whitman!
Headstrong, feisty Evie Lockhart faces certain social ruin when she chases her dream of becoming a doctor during a time when societal ladies were expected to be satisfied within the confines of the home. Even more shocking, is Evie's desire to become an obstetrician.
In pursuit of her dream Evie faces challenges that cut to the very core of her being.
Lester has delivered an inspiring tale of tender love and lays bare how difficult it was for women to enter the medical profession in that period of history.
Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction and I may just have fallen in love with the lush Thomas Whitman!
February 9, 2017
It's been weeks since I finished this and I still can't find all the words.
I'd been waiting for this book to come out since the middle of last year, since I discovered the inspirational Natasha Lester's blog and maybe, perhaps, began to slightly stalk her online ... Natasha has heaps of writing advice to share and I couldn't wait to see how she applied it all in her historical fiction novel.
Wow.
Natasha's writing is a bridge between literary and commercial fiction. There is romance, mystery, medical drama, historical fiction, costumes, dancing, parties, study, life and death. Natasha paints such a vivid picture of life in New York during the 1920's. I felt like I was there, walking alongside Evie, sipping champagne during the prohibition and occasionally breaking into the charleston. I loved Evie's spunk and determination. Even though Evie has blond hair, the girl on the cover captures her essence perfectly (and the cover is so pretty).
This book is the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas and the bandicoot's bellybutton! It's a book I found myself live tweeting as I was reading (that's the polite way to say twitter stalking).
I listened to the audiobook edition. The narrator was fabulous. Kelly Burke spoke clearly and at a good pace, bringing each character to life.
I'd been waiting for this book to come out since the middle of last year, since I discovered the inspirational Natasha Lester's blog and maybe, perhaps, began to slightly stalk her online ... Natasha has heaps of writing advice to share and I couldn't wait to see how she applied it all in her historical fiction novel.
Wow.
Natasha's writing is a bridge between literary and commercial fiction. There is romance, mystery, medical drama, historical fiction, costumes, dancing, parties, study, life and death. Natasha paints such a vivid picture of life in New York during the 1920's. I felt like I was there, walking alongside Evie, sipping champagne during the prohibition and occasionally breaking into the charleston. I loved Evie's spunk and determination. Even though Evie has blond hair, the girl on the cover captures her essence perfectly (and the cover is so pretty).
This book is the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas and the bandicoot's bellybutton! It's a book I found myself live tweeting as I was reading (that's the polite way to say twitter stalking).
I listened to the audiobook edition. The narrator was fabulous. Kelly Burke spoke clearly and at a good pace, bringing each character to life.
May 12, 2016
I’m not a fan of historical fiction OR romance so I started this book with some reticence - figuring I might as well give it a try.
And I kept reading and reading because I LOVED it!
It's the first book I've read by Lester and she scored on all fronts. The characters were great; it was eloquently written (so effortless reading); and the plot itself addictive.
It wasn't the dreary historical piece I was dreading and nor was it some Barbara Taylor Bradford-like saga sweeping several generations.
Much of the novel was focused around the role of women and the plight 'modern' women faced. I know we gals still have cause for complaint every now and again but this book offers a reminder of how far we've come.
Lester undertook a significant amount of research to write this novel and some of the barbaric medical practices of the time are horrific. In fact, one of the things that continues to motivate Evie is the way women in labour and mothers are treated by male doctors.
Read the full review on my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
And I kept reading and reading because I LOVED it!
It's the first book I've read by Lester and she scored on all fronts. The characters were great; it was eloquently written (so effortless reading); and the plot itself addictive.
It wasn't the dreary historical piece I was dreading and nor was it some Barbara Taylor Bradford-like saga sweeping several generations.
Much of the novel was focused around the role of women and the plight 'modern' women faced. I know we gals still have cause for complaint every now and again but this book offers a reminder of how far we've come.
Lester undertook a significant amount of research to write this novel and some of the barbaric medical practices of the time are horrific. In fact, one of the things that continues to motivate Evie is the way women in labour and mothers are treated by male doctors.
Read the full review on my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
April 23, 2017
This was excellent, but not what I expected. First, for some reason I wasn't expecting what was essentially, a love story. Second, it was far more graphic than I'd anticipated in terms of the obstetric discussions.
I haven't read Natasha Lester before, but I had heard a lot of the hype when this book came out and I have a lot of friends who read it and loved it.
I can definitely see why it was a hit.
The writing style is very approachable. The research to me felt impeccable. It got all the feels from me, tears in parts due to the hardship of birthing mothers in the 1920s/30s and the actions Evie has to take. I'm so very ignorant of what life was like for women in those days, and how few choices were open to women at all.
Thank goodness I am not a child of those times. I cannot sew a button. I can't knit. I can't cook. I can't deliver babies either. I've no real idea what I would have become.
The burning ambition of Evie is remarkable and I was cheering for her all the way.
I haven't read Natasha Lester before, but I had heard a lot of the hype when this book came out and I have a lot of friends who read it and loved it.
I can definitely see why it was a hit.
The writing style is very approachable. The research to me felt impeccable. It got all the feels from me, tears in parts due to the hardship of birthing mothers in the 1920s/30s and the actions Evie has to take. I'm so very ignorant of what life was like for women in those days, and how few choices were open to women at all.
Thank goodness I am not a child of those times. I cannot sew a button. I can't knit. I can't cook. I can't deliver babies either. I've no real idea what I would have become.
The burning ambition of Evie is remarkable and I was cheering for her all the way.
July 20, 2020
Ένα βιβλίο που χωρίζεται στη μέση...
Το ένα κομμάτι αναφέρεται στους αγώνες των γυναικών να εδραιώσουν την θέση τους στον κόσμο και ειδικότερα στην ιατρική. Τα μέρη που αφορούν αυτό το κομμάτι είναι εξαιρετικά έως συγκινητικά.
Το ��λλο κομμάτι αφορά τα συναισθηματικά προβλήματα της ηρωίδας που είναι επιπέδου αρλεκιν- ίσως και χειρότερα.... Αυτά τα μέρη αποδυναμώνουν εξαιρετικά το βιβλίο.
Όμως έχει ένα ακόμη θαυμαστό ατού το βιβλίο.... Την δική του jazz playlist....καθώς διαβάζεις βάζεις κ παίζει το αντίστοιχο κομμάτι....κι αυτό σε κάνει να χτυπάς κι εσύ ρυθμικά το πόδι και να περιφερεσαι με ένα ποτήρι ακριβή σαμπάνια σε πάρτυ κ σόου υπό τους ήχους τρομπετας,πιάνου,ανάμεσα σε φτερά, πούπουλα κ επιπόλαια φιλιά!
Το διαβάζεις εύκολα,διασκεδάζεις,αλλά ίσως μπορεί ένα δάκρυ να κυλησει ενώ αποκτάς καινούργια αγαπημένα μουσικά κομμάτια στη δική σου playlist.
Να το διαβάσετε,θα περάσετε καλά!
Το ένα κομμάτι αναφέρεται στους αγώνες των γυναικών να εδραιώσουν την θέση τους στον κόσμο και ειδικότερα στην ιατρική. Τα μέρη που αφορούν αυτό το κομμάτι είναι εξαιρετικά έως συγκινητικά.
Το ��λλο κομμάτι αφορά τα συναισθηματικά προβλήματα της ηρωίδας που είναι επιπέδου αρλεκιν- ίσως και χειρότερα.... Αυτά τα μέρη αποδυναμώνουν εξαιρετικά το βιβλίο.
Όμως έχει ένα ακόμη θαυμαστό ατού το βιβλίο.... Την δική του jazz playlist....καθώς διαβάζεις βάζεις κ παίζει το αντίστοιχο κομμάτι....κι αυτό σε κάνει να χτυπάς κι εσύ ρυθμικά το πόδι και να περιφερεσαι με ένα ποτήρι ακριβή σαμπάνια σε πάρτυ κ σόου υπό τους ήχους τρομπετας,πιάνου,ανάμεσα σε φτερά, πούπουλα κ επιπόλαια φιλιά!
Το διαβάζεις εύκολα,διασκεδάζεις,αλλά ίσως μπορεί ένα δάκρυ να κυλησει ενώ αποκτάς καινούργια αγαπημένα μουσικά κομμάτια στη δική σου playlist.
Να το διαβάσετε,θα περάσετε καλά!
February 26, 2016
What an exciting, heart-breaking and devastating story of life in 20s, what an inspiring woman our heroine is.
Historical novels aren't always my thing and generally when I think historical I head back to the 18th and 19th centuries rather than the early part of the 20th.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is set in the middle of the 1920s, with prohibition in force and a major change brewing. Lester has painted a vivid picture of a New York life in the 20s that makes me look at all the things we take for granted in the 21st century. There are times that I look around now and am thankful that I was born in the last quarter of the 20th century rather than the beginning of the 21st. Reading this book makes me appreciate the freedoms I can enjoy thanks to the pioneering women of the early 20th century and glad I was born in the second half of the 20th century rather than the first.
I guess that regardless of the times you are born into and the times you live in there will be good things and not so good things.
Evelyn Lockhart is born into a middle class New York family in a time when the purpose of her education was to help her find a wealthy husband and run a household, unfortunately that wasn't enough. Evelyn wants to go to college, she wants to do something important with her life, and when she happens to come across a young woman giving birth by the side of a river all alone she finds her calling. Evie Lockhart decides she wants to be a doctor.
I loved Evie, she was a woman before her time and she was determined; she had strong beliefs and refused to be swayed. In a time where women of her class spent all their time trying to catch a husband Evie had a man waiting to propose but wanted more than that life could offer her. Witnessing the death of a woman alone in childbirth brought out the desire in her to help other women, to put a stop to these avoidable deaths.
This is a time when the first female students where still studying medicine and female doctors were still unheard of. Evie could have been a nurse but that wasn't enough for her. She had the smarts she just needed to be able to prove herself and get through summer school to be able to apply.
If it wasn't enough that she had to work twice as hard to get into college she still had to go up against an entire college of men who didn't think she should be there, and a society who ostracised her. Her family refused to support her decision, therefore cutting her off and forcing her to pay her own way through college.
Review will appear in full here: bookgirl.beautyandlace.net
Historical novels aren't always my thing and generally when I think historical I head back to the 18th and 19th centuries rather than the early part of the 20th.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald is set in the middle of the 1920s, with prohibition in force and a major change brewing. Lester has painted a vivid picture of a New York life in the 20s that makes me look at all the things we take for granted in the 21st century. There are times that I look around now and am thankful that I was born in the last quarter of the 20th century rather than the beginning of the 21st. Reading this book makes me appreciate the freedoms I can enjoy thanks to the pioneering women of the early 20th century and glad I was born in the second half of the 20th century rather than the first.
I guess that regardless of the times you are born into and the times you live in there will be good things and not so good things.
Evelyn Lockhart is born into a middle class New York family in a time when the purpose of her education was to help her find a wealthy husband and run a household, unfortunately that wasn't enough. Evelyn wants to go to college, she wants to do something important with her life, and when she happens to come across a young woman giving birth by the side of a river all alone she finds her calling. Evie Lockhart decides she wants to be a doctor.
I loved Evie, she was a woman before her time and she was determined; she had strong beliefs and refused to be swayed. In a time where women of her class spent all their time trying to catch a husband Evie had a man waiting to propose but wanted more than that life could offer her. Witnessing the death of a woman alone in childbirth brought out the desire in her to help other women, to put a stop to these avoidable deaths.
This is a time when the first female students where still studying medicine and female doctors were still unheard of. Evie could have been a nurse but that wasn't enough for her. She had the smarts she just needed to be able to prove herself and get through summer school to be able to apply.
If it wasn't enough that she had to work twice as hard to get into college she still had to go up against an entire college of men who didn't think she should be there, and a society who ostracised her. Her family refused to support her decision, therefore cutting her off and forcing her to pay her own way through college.
Review will appear in full here: bookgirl.beautyandlace.net
August 5, 2020
Evie throws herself into New York and into a life that is completely shocking for the time (1922)... she decides she wants to be a Doctor. And not just any Doctor... an obstetrician! Add to this her night job as a Ziegfeld girl and you have a recipe for a book that embraces the glitz and glam of the time, while exploring the historical progression of women in the medical field.
This book is a lot of fun and has some great characters and romances, but it also deftly explores the role of women and medicine in the 1920s.
For those that have read Lester's previous work, I would say the writing is just as compelling, but the subject matter is much more "upbeat" I highly recommend this to Historical Fiction fans.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review, and to the author Natasha Lester for agreeing to participate in a give-away and Author Q&A with our book group, Nothing But Reading Challenges.
This book is a lot of fun and has some great characters and romances, but it also deftly explores the role of women and medicine in the 1920s.
For those that have read Lester's previous work, I would say the writing is just as compelling, but the subject matter is much more "upbeat" I highly recommend this to Historical Fiction fans.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review, and to the author Natasha Lester for agreeing to participate in a give-away and Author Q&A with our book group, Nothing But Reading Challenges.
September 2, 2018
A really enjoyable read set in New York in the 1920s
January 15, 2024
5 🌟
I absolutely loved this book. The setting of the roaring 20's, the Follies, a strong determined woman...what's not to love?? Evie is the kind of woman you can't help but cheer for and want to be. In a time when women were rarely encouraged to even go to school, she set her sights on wanting to be a doctor. Evie is supposed to be happy to marry her childhood friend Charlie but quickly comes to find out he's not all that great, but his older brother Thomas, well he's the cats pyjamas.
Wonderful read and will be reading more from this author for sure!
**Trigger warning - attempted rape, child deaths
I absolutely loved this book. The setting of the roaring 20's, the Follies, a strong determined woman...what's not to love?? Evie is the kind of woman you can't help but cheer for and want to be. In a time when women were rarely encouraged to even go to school, she set her sights on wanting to be a doctor. Evie is supposed to be happy to marry her childhood friend Charlie but quickly comes to find out he's not all that great, but his older brother Thomas, well he's the cats pyjamas.
Wonderful read and will be reading more from this author for sure!
**Trigger warning - attempted rape, child deaths
August 24, 2017
4.5 *some spoilers* Absolutely love this book. I love the glitz and glamour of anything Fitgerald-esque, and I like how this book portrays Evie's struggles as she is not supported by her family when she starts to move towards more modern, 'scandalous'' goals. The contrast between Evie's 'proper' upbringing and family and the decadent 1920s lifestyles portrayed in many other books (Fitzgerald in particular) is really well done. I also love Tommy, and think that Evie and Tommy's relationship progressed well, as they didn't decide they were in love straight away, but spent time together and encouraged each other. I liked that a lot of the story focused on Evie's professional dreams of becoming an obstetrician, and I found the medical aspects of the story to be really well researched and interesting. I also liked that Evie reconciled with her sister, and that Lil and Evie had such a strong friendship throughout the book. Towards the end I found the story quite similar to Lester's most recent book, Her Mother's Secret- Leo and Evie, the female protagonists of each novel, both become unexpectedly pregnant to the man they love, conceal the pregancy to 'protect' him and continue to succeed in their professional pursuits whilst raising children alone. When the children are revealed a year or many years later Everett/Tommy is completely thrilled to find out about his child and doesnt seem at all put out about being kept in the dark, and a happy family is constructed immediately. I really enjoyed both stories despite the similarities and somewhat idealistic romance, but I hope Lester doesn't use this secret pregnancy plot in every book in the future, because it will become too predictable. I would also like to see the male characters a bit more developed and driven, and would like their 'back up' women (Everetts wife in Her Mothers Secret, and Winnie in A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald) not to be portrayed as so petty/villanous/shallow/one dimensional. Despite this, I found both books entertaining, fun, and full of likable and ambitious female protagonists and friendships.
I don't generally read a lot of romance or historical fiction, but after reading Her Mother's Secret and A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald, I do enjoy the fun, easy to read style of Natasha Lester's novels, and find them thorough and historically relevant as well. Lester has become one of my favourite Australian authors, and I'm definitely looking forward to her future books!
I don't generally read a lot of romance or historical fiction, but after reading Her Mother's Secret and A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald, I do enjoy the fun, easy to read style of Natasha Lester's novels, and find them thorough and historically relevant as well. Lester has become one of my favourite Australian authors, and I'm definitely looking forward to her future books!
March 19, 2018
Review originally posted on A Keyboard and an Open Mind March 19, 2018:
This book reminded me how good historical fiction can be. I actually went back and checked how much of it I had read in the past year, and it turned out not much. In 2017, I read four historical fiction books, and I wasn’t really into any of them. I’m glad this one reminded me how good it feels to get sucked into a different time and place.
After witnessing a woman die of childbirth in the woods while the men in her life look on and do nothing, Evie Lockhart wants is to become a obstetrician. But it’s 1925 and so to pay her way through medical school, Evie becomes a Ziegfeld Girl, starring in the infamous Ziegfeld Follies every night. But with the man she should have married threatening her, and the man she wants to marry away in London for months at a time, how long can she maintain this double life?
The best thing about this book was how easily I got invested in the characters. Evie was easy to like, and I was rooting for her the whole time, as well as her relationship with Thomas Whitman. Charles Whitman made me go and write angry GoodReads updates. He was dispicable, and I couldn’t even sympathise with him from the perspective of “younger brother always in the older brother’s shadow”. I also appreciated the support that Evie got from the women in her life, particularly her best friend, Lil, and Mrs Whitman.
The 1920s is of course a very fun era and I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Follies, the speakeasies and the fashions. Lester has payed close attention to detail to ensure that the historical atmosphere of this book is as accurate as possible. It’s not all fun and games, though; the misogyny of the era is also brought to light quite thoroughly and realistically. It made me angry, but it also made Evie’s triumphs throughout the story all the more satisfying.
This review is part of my Australian Women Writers Challenge for 2018. Click here for more information.
This book reminded me how good historical fiction can be. I actually went back and checked how much of it I had read in the past year, and it turned out not much. In 2017, I read four historical fiction books, and I wasn’t really into any of them. I’m glad this one reminded me how good it feels to get sucked into a different time and place.
After witnessing a woman die of childbirth in the woods while the men in her life look on and do nothing, Evie Lockhart wants is to become a obstetrician. But it’s 1925 and so to pay her way through medical school, Evie becomes a Ziegfeld Girl, starring in the infamous Ziegfeld Follies every night. But with the man she should have married threatening her, and the man she wants to marry away in London for months at a time, how long can she maintain this double life?
The best thing about this book was how easily I got invested in the characters. Evie was easy to like, and I was rooting for her the whole time, as well as her relationship with Thomas Whitman. Charles Whitman made me go and write angry GoodReads updates. He was dispicable, and I couldn’t even sympathise with him from the perspective of “younger brother always in the older brother’s shadow”. I also appreciated the support that Evie got from the women in her life, particularly her best friend, Lil, and Mrs Whitman.
The 1920s is of course a very fun era and I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Follies, the speakeasies and the fashions. Lester has payed close attention to detail to ensure that the historical atmosphere of this book is as accurate as possible. It’s not all fun and games, though; the misogyny of the era is also brought to light quite thoroughly and realistically. It made me angry, but it also made Evie’s triumphs throughout the story all the more satisfying.
This review is part of my Australian Women Writers Challenge for 2018. Click here for more information.
September 26, 2020
10/5 ατμοσφαιρικό εποχής, απλά υπέροχο!!!
October 10, 2017
Natasha Lester is an Australian writer based in Perth, and A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald is her first foray into historical fiction, after two contemporary tales published by Fremantle Press.
I was irresistibly drawn to her book by its gorgeous cover and the promise of its title, A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. I love books set in the 1920s, which was such a heady period of glamour and new freedoms. And I was intrigued by the premise: the heroine, Evelyn, is determined to become an obstetrician, at a time when women were rarely permitted to study medicine. To support herself, Evelyn becomes a dancer for the Ziegfield Follies.
The book didn’t let me down. Evelyn’s story is full of drama, heartbreak and determination, and the setting of Manhattan in the early ‘20s is brought to glorious vivid life. I particularly loved the scenes when Evelyn was fighting to be allowed to study medicine – they rang really true for me. I’m keen now to read Natasha Lester’s new book, Her Mother’s Secret.
I was irresistibly drawn to her book by its gorgeous cover and the promise of its title, A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. I love books set in the 1920s, which was such a heady period of glamour and new freedoms. And I was intrigued by the premise: the heroine, Evelyn, is determined to become an obstetrician, at a time when women were rarely permitted to study medicine. To support herself, Evelyn becomes a dancer for the Ziegfield Follies.
The book didn’t let me down. Evelyn’s story is full of drama, heartbreak and determination, and the setting of Manhattan in the early ‘20s is brought to glorious vivid life. I particularly loved the scenes when Evelyn was fighting to be allowed to study medicine – they rang really true for me. I’m keen now to read Natasha Lester’s new book, Her Mother’s Secret.
June 2, 2016
A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald by Natasha Lester, I fell in love with.
It is a captivating, tragic love story set amid the fragile hearts and glamour of 1920's New York.
The story of Evelyn Lockhart with her dreams and emotions captured my heart.
I was there, I was a Ziegfield Follie, I was the obstetrician!
I was the one longing for The Kiss.
Set in a world of Manhattan, gin, jazz and speakeasies, sequins and feathers on costumes.
I moved through this book like I was on a filmstrip.
A novel filled with imagination, easy to read with intelligence, women finding themselves through their careers in the 1920's to be the women that we are today.
Sometimes all we need is a Kiss and a little help along the way but we must find ourselves first.
Excellent novel by Natasha Lester.
It is a captivating, tragic love story set amid the fragile hearts and glamour of 1920's New York.
The story of Evelyn Lockhart with her dreams and emotions captured my heart.
I was there, I was a Ziegfield Follie, I was the obstetrician!
I was the one longing for The Kiss.
Set in a world of Manhattan, gin, jazz and speakeasies, sequins and feathers on costumes.
I moved through this book like I was on a filmstrip.
A novel filled with imagination, easy to read with intelligence, women finding themselves through their careers in the 1920's to be the women that we are today.
Sometimes all we need is a Kiss and a little help along the way but we must find ourselves first.
Excellent novel by Natasha Lester.
November 23, 2016
There were so many things I loved about this book...
The backstory about women having to fight to be treated as equals in the 1920's (especially when it came to education and careers); the luscious setting of New York - jazz, speakeasies, Ziegfeld Follies, fashion and fabulous architecture (I only wish I had read it while I was in New York earlier this year!); the description of obstetrics in the 1920s (I'm really happy to have given birth in the current era); the love story between Evelyn and Thomas; and also because this book was written by a Perth author who works really hard at her craft and gives back to the writing community so generously with her time and advice.
The backstory about women having to fight to be treated as equals in the 1920's (especially when it came to education and careers); the luscious setting of New York - jazz, speakeasies, Ziegfeld Follies, fashion and fabulous architecture (I only wish I had read it while I was in New York earlier this year!); the description of obstetrics in the 1920s (I'm really happy to have given birth in the current era); the love story between Evelyn and Thomas; and also because this book was written by a Perth author who works really hard at her craft and gives back to the writing community so generously with her time and advice.
September 18, 2017
A lovely gentle read that comes also with a positive message about following your dreams and working hard to achieve what might seem the impossible. The novel was set in her heady and lively days of New York in the 20s, a challenging time for women who wanted to make their way in professions that were not deemed suitable for them. For Evie she surprised everyone, in more ways than one, which makes for a captivating romance as well as a solid commentary of the times.
October 29, 2017
If Lizzie Bennett had been born in the 1920s I imagine she’d be just like Evie Lockhart - determined to be more than just someone’s wife. The love story was a little lacking at times but overall an inspiring read that’ll make you want to visit a speakeasy. If you enjoyed Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, you’ll love this.
August 12, 2018
Ό,τι καλύτερο έχω διαβάσει τον τελευταίο χρόνο!!! Τι ιστορία!!! Εξαιρετική μετάφραση!!! Θλίψη με έπιασε που τελείωσε... πώς να διαβάσω τώρα το επόμενο; Με τι καρδιά;;;; Αγαπημένη Διόπτρα το κοινό απαιτεί και τα επόμενα της συγγραφέως!!!
July 10, 2016
I loved this book!
May 14, 2023
I wish GoodReads had half stars! I really enjoyed this one. (The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is that they are for books that make me all emotional and no tears were shed reading this)
Anyway, we all know I love a feisty, intelligent, strong woman as the main character and Natasha delivered this in spades. I enjoyed the setting, the narrative, the writing - it was a really good read.
Unfortunately I didn’t read it as she suggested. She wrote in my book that I was to enjoy it with gin and jazz but alas I pretty much read it in one day, most of which was on the long train journey I now have to get to the city. It would have been lovely to have done it her way but future readers you may want to take note now and plan for an afternoon of reading, following her advice! You’re welcome.
Anyway, we all know I love a feisty, intelligent, strong woman as the main character and Natasha delivered this in spades. I enjoyed the setting, the narrative, the writing - it was a really good read.
Unfortunately I didn’t read it as she suggested. She wrote in my book that I was to enjoy it with gin and jazz but alas I pretty much read it in one day, most of which was on the long train journey I now have to get to the city. It would have been lovely to have done it her way but future readers you may want to take note now and plan for an afternoon of reading, following her advice! You’re welcome.
June 6, 2018
Αγαπώ την δεκαετία του '30! Ως ανεξάρτητη και δυναμική γυναίκα -γκούχου, γκούχου- δεν θα μπορούσε να μην με γοητεύει μια εποχή που έχει χαρακτηριστεί ως μία από τις πλέον επαναστατικές για το γυναικείο φύλο, το οποίο ξεκινούσε την πορεία του προς την ατομική ελευθερία και τη συλλογική ανεξαρτησία. Μία εποχή που οι γυναίκες, θέλοντας ν' αποδείξουν πως έχουν ίσα δικαιώματα με τους άντρες -και πολλές φορές, μεγαλύτερες ικανότητες-, υιοθετούσαν συμπεριφορές που για κάποιους μπορεί να ήταν προκλητικές, και έπαιρναν αποφάσεις για τη ζωή τους που σίγουρα σόκαραν του συντηρητικούς, γοήτευαν, από την άλλη, ανθρώπους που διέθεταν ελεύθερο πνεύμα και επιθυμία να κατακτήσουν, όχι το εύκολο, αυτό για το οποίο πρέπει να παλέψεις. Ως εκ τούτου, ήξερα από την πρώτη στιγμή πως θα λάτρευα το "Ένα φιλί από τον κύριο Φιτζέραλντ" και πράγματι, έτσι ακριβώς συνέβη.
Βρισκόμαστε στη Νέα Υόρκη του 1922, τότε που γίνεται η πρώτη γυναικεία επανάσταση, και όχι μόνο σε κοινωνικό επίπεδο -μα και σε θέματα μόδας, έκφρασης, συμπεριφοράς, καλλιτεχνικής έκρηξης και πολλά άλλα-, με τη νεαρή Έβελιν Λόκχαρτ να είναι αποφασισμένη να διεκδικήσει το μεγαλύτερο όνειρό της που δεν είναι άλλο από το να σπουδάσει στην ιατρική σχολή του Κολούμπια. Τι κι αν ο περίγυρος ήταν εναντίον της, τι κι αν ήταν μία απ' τις ελάχιστες γυναικείες παρουσίες σ' ένα τόσο δύσκολο τμήμα σπουδών, τι κι αν τα χρήματά της δεν ήταν αρκετά, εκείνη είχε αποφασίσει προ καιρού πως θα έκανε ό,τι χρειαζόταν, γιατί κανένα τίμημα δεν είναι πολύ μεγάλο όταν κυνηγάς τα όνειρά σου. Έτσι, καταλήγει να εργάζεται, παράλληλα με τις σπουδές της, ως χορεύτρια του καν καν στο περίφημο καμπαρέ Ζίγκφελντ Φόλις. Και κάπου εκεί, στο υπό-φως της νύχτας, που η αξιοπρέπεια πουλιέται άλλοτε φτηνά κι άλλοτε ακριβά, ο έρωτας θα της χτυπήσει την πόρτα κι εκείνη θα πρέπει ν' αποφασίσει αν θα τον διεκδικήσει, μα κι αν θα του επιτρέψει να την παρασύρει.
Τελικά, πρέπει να παραδεχθούμε πως η Αυστραλία βγάζει εξαιρετικούς συγγραφείς στον τομέα του αισθηματικού, κοινωνικού, μυθιστορήματος εποχής. Και η Natasha Lester είναι ένα ακόμα τρανό παράδειγμα στη μεγάλη αυτή λίστα, καταφέρνοντας με το βιβλίο της αυτό να μας μαγέψει, από τις πρώτες κιόλας σελίδες, και να μας ταξιδέψει πίσω στο χρόνο, ζωντανεύοντας εικόνες, μελωδίες, μυρωδιές, την αισθαντική ατμόσφαιρα μιας εποχής που όλα βρίσκονταν μέσα στο στενό κύκλο των στερεότυπων και όμως, την ίδια ακριβώς στιγμή, τολμούσαν ν' απλώσουν το χέρι και ν' αγγίξουν τους απαγορευμένους εκείνους καρπούς που μπορεί να τους στιγμάτιζαν για μια ζωή. Μιας εποχής που η αυτοπεποίθηση και η ανασφάλεια, οι επιθυμίες και οι αγωνίες, το φαίνεσθαι και το είθισται, η ηθική και η ανηθικότητα, ο σεβασμός και η προκλητικότητα, ο δυναμισμός και ο ρομαντισμός, βρίσκονται σε μια διαρκή σύγκρουση και συνάμα, σφιχταγκαλιασμένα σ' έναν χορό τα βήματα του οποίου μπορούν να τα οδηγήσουν μοναχά σ' έναν, κοινό προορισμό.
Η Έβελιν, λοιπόν, είναι ένας χαρακτήρας στο πρόσωπο του οποίου διακρίνονται όλα τα παραπάνω και ακόμα περισσότερα. Γιατί, η Έβελιν, δεν είναι απλά ένας δυναμικός γυναικείος χαρακτήρας που προσπαθεί να κερδίσει τις εντυπώσεις, αλλά μία ουσιαστική ηρωίδα που αξίζει να κερδίσει, όχι τις εντυπώσεις, αλλά τον σεβασμό μας. Είναι αληθινή, ειλικρινής, παθιασμένη, επίμονη αλλά όχι πεισματάρα, απίστευτα αφοσιωμένη στους σκοπούς και στα όνειρά της, όχι μόνο για ν ικανοποιήσει το εγώ της, αλλά για ν' αποδείξει, σε μια επαναστατική εποχή, πως κάθε γυναίκα έχει δικαίωμα στη ζωή, στο πάθος, στο όνειρο, και μπορεί να πετύχει, αρκεί ν' αγωνιστεί, να παλέψει, να προσπαθήσει για ό,τι καλύτερο μπορεί. Ουσιαστικά, παλεύει όχι μόνο για τον εαυτό της, αλλά για όλες τις γυναίκες εκεί έξω, κάτι που δίνει ζωή στο μυθιστόρημα αυτό, που δεν έχει σκοπό ν' αφηγηθεί απλά έναν ακόμα έρωτα -που ναι μεν υπάρχει, αλλά δεν είναι το πρωτεύων στοιχείο-, αλλά κάτι περισσότερο, κάτι βαθύτερο, κάτι σημαντικότερο.
Η Lester, με εξαιρετική μαεστρία -και με εμφανή μελέτη στην εποχή τις αλήθειες της οποίας πραγματεύεται- μάς ταξιδεύει στο χρόνο και στο χώρο, μεταφέροντάς μας τις μικρές και τις μεγάλες εκείνες λεπτομέρειες που σημάδεψαν μια ολόκληρη δεκαετία, κοινωνικά, πολιτικά, ηθικά, μα και το πως αυτές επηρέασαν, όχι μόνο το ανθρώπινο σύνολο, αλλά και την κάθε μονάδα χωριστά, ανάλογα πάντα με τα πιστεύω και τις αξίες της. Σε κάθε περίπτωση, όμως, στο τέλος κάθε προσωπικής διαδρομής, όλοι διεκδίκησαν το ίδιο ακριβώς πράγμα, που δεν είναι άλλο από το δικαίωμα στη ζωή και στο όνειρο. Κανείς δεν μπορεί να σου πει ποιος είσαι, μόνο εσύ μπορείς να το ανακαλύψεις. Κανείς δεν μπορεί να σου πει πως θα ζήσεις τη ζωή σου, μόνο εσύ μπορείς να το αποφασίσεις αυτό. Κανείς δεν μπορεί να σου πει να πάψεις να ονειρεύεσαι. Το πόσο μεγάλα όνειρα θα κάνεις, τι θα θυσιάσεις γι' αυτό και πόσο θα παλέψεις για να φτάσεις στην επίτευξη των στόχων σου, είναι μια διαδρομή που πρέπει να την περπατήσεις εσύ, όχι απαραίτητα μόνος σου, αλλά σίγουρα κατευθύνοντας τα βήματα των συνοδοιπόρων σου. Και η Έβελιν, ακριβώς αυτό έκανε, οπότε, πως να μην αγαπήσουμε την υπέροχη και δυνατή, παθιασμένη αλήθεια της;
Βρισκόμαστε στη Νέα Υόρκη του 1922, τότε που γίνεται η πρώτη γυναικεία επανάσταση, και όχι μόνο σε κοινωνικό επίπεδο -μα και σε θέματα μόδας, έκφρασης, συμπεριφοράς, καλλιτεχνικής έκρηξης και πολλά άλλα-, με τη νεαρή Έβελιν Λόκχαρτ να είναι αποφασισμένη να διεκδικήσει το μεγαλύτερο όνειρό της που δεν είναι άλλο από το να σπουδάσει στην ιατρική σχολή του Κολούμπια. Τι κι αν ο περίγυρος ήταν εναντίον της, τι κι αν ήταν μία απ' τις ελάχιστες γυναικείες παρουσίες σ' ένα τόσο δύσκολο τμήμα σπουδών, τι κι αν τα χρήματά της δεν ήταν αρκετά, εκείνη είχε αποφασίσει προ καιρού πως θα έκανε ό,τι χρειαζόταν, γιατί κανένα τίμημα δεν είναι πολύ μεγάλο όταν κυνηγάς τα όνειρά σου. Έτσι, καταλήγει να εργάζεται, παράλληλα με τις σπουδές της, ως χορεύτρια του καν καν στο περίφημο καμπαρέ Ζίγκφελντ Φόλις. Και κάπου εκεί, στο υπό-φως της νύχτας, που η αξιοπρέπεια πουλιέται άλλοτε φτηνά κι άλλοτε ακριβά, ο έρωτας θα της χτυπήσει την πόρτα κι εκείνη θα πρέπει ν' αποφασίσει αν θα τον διεκδικήσει, μα κι αν θα του επιτρέψει να την παρασύρει.
Τελικά, πρέπει να παραδεχθούμε πως η Αυστραλία βγάζει εξαιρετικούς συγγραφείς στον τομέα του αισθηματικού, κοινωνικού, μυθιστορήματος εποχής. Και η Natasha Lester είναι ένα ακόμα τρανό παράδειγμα στη μεγάλη αυτή λίστα, καταφέρνοντας με το βιβλίο της αυτό να μας μαγέψει, από τις πρώτες κιόλας σελίδες, και να μας ταξιδέψει πίσω στο χρόνο, ζωντανεύοντας εικόνες, μελωδίες, μυρωδιές, την αισθαντική ατμόσφαιρα μιας εποχής που όλα βρίσκονταν μέσα στο στενό κύκλο των στερεότυπων και όμως, την ίδια ακριβώς στιγμή, τολμούσαν ν' απλώσουν το χέρι και ν' αγγίξουν τους απαγορευμένους εκείνους καρπούς που μπορεί να τους στιγμάτιζαν για μια ζωή. Μιας εποχής που η αυτοπεποίθηση και η ανασφάλεια, οι επιθυμίες και οι αγωνίες, το φαίνεσθαι και το είθισται, η ηθική και η ανηθικότητα, ο σεβασμός και η προκλητικότητα, ο δυναμισμός και ο ρομαντισμός, βρίσκονται σε μια διαρκή σύγκρουση και συνάμα, σφιχταγκαλιασμένα σ' έναν χορό τα βήματα του οποίου μπορούν να τα οδηγήσουν μοναχά σ' έναν, κοινό προορισμό.
Η Έβελιν, λοιπόν, είναι ένας χαρακτήρας στο πρόσωπο του οποίου διακρίνονται όλα τα παραπάνω και ακόμα περισσότερα. Γιατί, η Έβελιν, δεν είναι απλά ένας δυναμικός γυναικείος χαρακτήρας που προσπαθεί να κερδίσει τις εντυπώσεις, αλλά μία ουσιαστική ηρωίδα που αξίζει να κερδίσει, όχι τις εντυπώσεις, αλλά τον σεβασμό μας. Είναι αληθινή, ειλικρινής, παθιασμένη, επίμονη αλλά όχι πεισματάρα, απίστευτα αφοσιωμένη στους σκοπούς και στα όνειρά της, όχι μόνο για ν ικανοποιήσει το εγώ της, αλλά για ν' αποδείξει, σε μια επαναστατική εποχή, πως κάθε γυναίκα έχει δικαίωμα στη ζωή, στο πάθος, στο όνειρο, και μπορεί να πετύχει, αρκεί ν' αγωνιστεί, να παλέψει, να προσπαθήσει για ό,τι καλύτερο μπορεί. Ουσιαστικά, παλεύει όχι μόνο για τον εαυτό της, αλλά για όλες τις γυναίκες εκεί έξω, κάτι που δίνει ζωή στο μυθιστόρημα αυτό, που δεν έχει σκοπό ν' αφηγηθεί απλά έναν ακόμα έρωτα -που ναι μεν υπάρχει, αλλά δεν είναι το πρωτεύων στοιχείο-, αλλά κάτι περισσότερο, κάτι βαθύτερο, κάτι σημαντικότερο.
Η Lester, με εξαιρετική μαεστρία -και με εμφανή μελέτη στην εποχή τις αλήθειες της οποίας πραγματεύεται- μάς ταξιδεύει στο χρόνο και στο χώρο, μεταφέροντάς μας τις μικρές και τις μεγάλες εκείνες λεπτομέρειες που σημάδεψαν μια ολόκληρη δεκαετία, κοινωνικά, πολιτικά, ηθικά, μα και το πως αυτές επηρέασαν, όχι μόνο το ανθρώπινο σύνολο, αλλά και την κάθε μονάδα χωριστά, ανάλογα πάντα με τα πιστεύω και τις αξίες της. Σε κάθε περίπτωση, όμως, στο τέλος κάθε προσωπικής διαδρομής, όλοι διεκδίκησαν το ίδιο ακριβώς πράγμα, που δεν είναι άλλο από το δικαίωμα στη ζωή και στο όνειρο. Κανείς δεν μπορεί να σου πει ποιος είσαι, μόνο εσύ μπορείς να το ανακαλύψεις. Κανείς δεν μπορεί να σου πει πως θα ζήσεις τη ζωή σου, μόνο εσύ μπορείς να το αποφασίσεις αυτό. Κανείς δεν μπορεί να σου πει να πάψεις να ονειρεύεσαι. Το πόσο μεγάλα όνειρα θα κάνεις, τι θα θυσιάσεις γι' αυτό και πόσο θα παλέψεις για να φτάσεις στην επίτευξη των στόχων σου, είναι μια διαδρομή που πρέπει να την περπατήσεις εσύ, όχι απαραίτητα μόνος σου, αλλά σίγουρα κατευθύνοντας τα βήματα των συνοδοιπόρων σου. Και η Έβελιν, ακριβώς αυτό έκανε, οπότε, πως να μην αγαπήσουμε την υπέροχη και δυνατή, παθιασμένη αλήθεια της;
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