Genre: Literary Fiction
Author: Lynn Steward
Website: www.averygoodlife.com
Publisher: CreateSpace
Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Very-Good-Life-1/dp/0991500776

About the Book

Although Lynn Steward’s debut novel, A Very Good Life, takes place in 1970s New York City. it has a timelessness to it. Dana McGarry is an “it” girl, living a privileged lifestyle of a well-heeled junior executive at B. Altman, a high end department store. With a storybook husband and a fairytale life, change comes swiftly and unexpectedly. Cracks begin to appear in the perfect facade. Challenged at work by unethical demands, and the growing awareness that her relationship with her distant husband is strained, Dana must deal with the unwanted changes in her life. Can she find her place in the new world where women can have a voice, or will she allow herself to be manipulated into doing things that go against her growing self-confidence?

One Very Good Life chronicles the perils and rewards of Dana’s journey, alongside some of the most legendary women of the twentieth century. From parties at Café des Artistes to the annual Rockefeller Center holiday tree lighting ceremony, from meetings with business icons like Estée Lauder to cocktail receptions with celebrity guests like legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. Steward’s intimate knowledge of the period creates the perfect backdrop for this riveting story about a woman’s quest for self-fulfillment.

About the Author

Lynn Steward is a successful business woman who spent many years in New York City’s fashion industry in marketing and merchandising, including the development of the first women’s department at a famous men’s clothing store. Through extensive research, and an intimate knowledge of the period, Steward created the characters and stories for a series of five authentic and heartwarming novels about New York in the seventies. A Very Good Life is the first in the series featuring Dana McGarry.

www.averygoodlife.com
http://www.pinterest.com/AVeryGoodLifeNY/
A Very Good Life by Lynn Steward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the first one-third of this book, I was not terribly interested. True, there were no bedroom scenes, and there was very minimal profanity. For that, I was quite pleased. But I felt quite disconnected from the story and the characters. When the reader realizes this is the beginning of a series, I suppose that is understandable since the first book in a series establishes the characters.

As the story intensified, I began to connect with Dana, and I appreciated the troubles with which she was faced. Although the book is essentially clean, it deals with the immeasurably difficult issue of infidelity. In addition to this, she has the work with cantankerous co-workers and even make decisions regarding her integrity in her job. Dana comes across as being a strong woman in a time period when feminism is in its infancy in this country. I would enjoy reading more books about this influential character.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

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