“Glamorous Notions”

Megan Chance

I’m of at least two minds about this book; it was fun, in parts, and an interesting look at mid-century Hollywood. Being not only from the perspective of a woman, but the perspective of someone who wasn’t an actress, definitely added to the whole experience – the costume designer isn’t someone I’ve thought much about in the past, much less the politics of being a costume designer. And on that count, this book was an absolute win!

On the other hand, I found myself rather irritable with the main character at many points. I had to remind myself that she didn’t grow up with the same media diet I did, but even through that thought, it felt like she maintained too much naïveté for too long. Maybe it was a deliberate refusal to see what was going on? I suppose there was a bit of her not quite realizing she was falling in love with a woman, and that sort of confused tangle of emotions can get one to a whole lot of We’re Just Not Thinking About What’s Going On Here, but still. The back half of the book was her trying to clean up the mess she’d gotten into, and I didn’t have nearly as much sympathy as I could’ve.

Still, it was a fun read, so give it a go.1