katie
Written on May 22, 2019
It's 1929 and Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey have escaped their small Midwestern town to chase big dreams and even bigger secrets.
Amongst the glittering metropolis of New York City, they meet Astrid Donal, a flapper who has everything she could ever want, except for the one thing Letty and Cordelia have to offer-true friendship.
Set in the dizzying summer before the market crash, against the vast lawns of the glamorous Long Island mansions and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, three girls will find scandal, intrigue, and romance.
- ISBN10 0141335343
- ISBN13 9780141335346
- Publish Date 6 January 2011 (first published 12 October 2010)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 23 October 2015
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
- Format Paperback
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
readingwithwrin
Written on Jun 29, 2018
The girls of 1929.”
Letty and Cordelia were two old friends that had escaped to a new life together, but when things started to fall into place for Cordelia, Letty was left to her own devices and struggled to keep up with fast-paced city life.
Astrid Donal seems like your typical flapper rich girl. Yet her family has more secrets than either of the other girls and she's playing a rather dangerous game of cat and mouse with her life.
“Among her other talents were forgetting what she did not like and ignoring what she preferred not to see.”
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I love this time period in history and the fact that both the rich and poorer side were shown seamlessly was so nice.
The friendships shown in this book were extremely realistic and I loved how things weren't always peachy keen between everyone. They all struggled as friends and in their personal lives and because of that it made the book for more real and like this really could have been someone's life which is what I love about historical fiction when its done really well and is something that doesn't always happen in YA.
“But in that moment she realized how false most smiles were and what a tremendous waste of time.”
The mob lifestyle was fascinating to me and I loved how we were just slow given little details about it we weren't told everything at once and instead were given details slowly over time or just little hints which you had to piece together yourselves.
The romance parts of this book I didn't mind. I thought at times the girls were being a bit ridiculous and too risky but that's to be expected especially with Cordelia and Letty as they weren't used to the city life.
I surprisingly so far don't have any favorites when it comes to the three girls. I enjoyed their stories equally and I can't wait to see what they get up to in the next book!
“It is easy to forget now, how effervescent and free we all felt that summer. Everything fades: the shimmer of gold over White Cove; the laughter in the night air; the lavender early morning light on the faces of skyscrapers, which had suddenly become so heroically tall. Every dawn seemed to promise fresh miracles, among other joys that are in short supply these days. And so I will try to tell you, while I still remember, how it was then, before everything changed-that final season of the era that roared.”
jesstheaudiobookworm
Written on Nov 1, 2015
Narration Review: For the longest time, the narrator (Emily Bauer) was the most enjoyable thing about this audiobook and her narration is what kept me listening. Actually, I can't say enough about Emily Bauer's narration skills. Her voice is soothing like silk. ♣︎
jeannamichel
Written on Jan 7, 2013
Anna Godbersen has been my favorite author since I read The Luxe in high school. When I tell people about her books and how wonderfully written they are, people look at me like I am crazy. I describe Bright Young Things as Gossip Girl in 1929. It is a fast paced historical drama (rather than historical romance), which is not my usual genre. I am more the type of supernatural, paranormal, and dystopian. However if Godbersen wrote it, it has to be good. And, yes, it was beyond good. Her writing style takes you to another world, alongside two girls who are trying to figure out their place in New York City.
Bright Young Things is set in 1929, during the Jazz Age, which is definitely glamourized and filled with drama. And, oh, Godbersen writes drama so well. She starts out with two girls, Letty and Cordelia. Perspectives move around a bit between chapters but is written so gracefully that is easy to understand. Every character has something which is likeable to them but also each has their dark secrets. That is something to love about Godbersen’s characters: they all have depths; they have stories beyond the main story and backgrounds beyond that.
It is difficult to talk about the plot without giving too much away. Drama always has its standard twists and turns. Some of Godbersen’s were predictable but lovely to read about. However, other twists were totally unexpected which only made me love the book more.
Bright Young Things has a way of making your heart fall in love, tremble, and ache all at the same time. This is the first book in a new series by Anna Godbersen and, to me, she is off to a great start. I look forward to reading the second installment! Godbersen knows how to write drama and if you haven’t read one of her books, I highly recommend them.
Angie
Written on Nov 26, 2011
The writing was also pretty dense, with paragraph long sentences. By time I'd get to the period, I forgot what the sentence was about.
Example 1: "By then she knew that the flaky, crescent-shaped pastries they brought in the morning were called croissants, and she had gathered--although she still hadn't heard anything to confirm it--that the bizarre flowers filing the tall, rectangular silver vases all over the room were calla lilies, even though they were more austere and futuristic than any lily she had ever seen, like flowers that grew on the moon."
Example 2: "She cried for being so stupid, and she cried for the man who'd lost his life, for the things she'd known about him and the things should now never know, and she cried for the carefree, privileged world that had been hers for only a few glorious weeks, and she cried for all the years no one had loved her and all the many future years when no one would love her again."
Aside from those two negatives, the story was interesting and moved at a decent pace (although I wished for more excitement earlier on!). It's hard to write this without comparing it to Vixen by Jillian Larkin, which I think is definitely the better 20's era read, even though there are quite a few similarities between the characters and plot. However, the final chapter was much better, and makes me want to find out what happens next.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads and Reviews
Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews
Written on Jul 12, 2011
Now to the book...
The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties. All this is experienced by three bright young things, Cordelia Grey, Letty Larkspur and Astrid Donal.
Cordelia starts off as a run away bride from a small town in Ohio who with her best friend Letty head to New York to make it big. Once there she discloses that the real reason she has traveled such a distance is to find her long lost father, a wealthy bootlegger. Upon hearing this Letty feels betrayed (and rightly so) going her own way. She quickly finds her father and is accepted with open arms. Personally, I found this rather odd, what if she had been an imposter after his vast fortune? Some people are so trusting. Cordelia soon becomes an entitled bitch who mixes with the wrong crowd to drastic consciences. She is the character we all love to hate.
Letty is a sweet naive girl who despite her talent always falls down on her luck. Unlike her former friend she mixes with the right crowd but is blinded by the idea of her name in lights and books a degrading position to discover her mistake too late. Poor young thing, your heart goes out to her.
Astrid, Cordelia's new best friend and brother's fiance. I think the best way to describe her is a hooker with a heart of gold, although she is no hooker, Astrid just likes to have a good time. She is perhaps the most likeable character of the three as she is kind and considerate and has a head on her shoulders. Unfortunately, she can not be the only one skips along like a Disney princess and has her shortcomings too.
With the era, plot and lively characters Anna Godbersen's Bright Young Things is sure to be a wonderful appetizer to a new series.
rakesandrogues
Written on Feb 10, 2011
Reading the summary again, I have to say that it is a little bit exaggerated - and thank god it is. Coming into this story, I felt like it was going to be the Luxe series all over again. Lots of drama, a surprise ending that will leave you waiting in vain for the next book, catty characters... And you know, I didn't know if I had it in me to go through that experience all over again. I did read one review that said BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS would be a lot better than the Luxe, but I still couldn't shake off the feeling.
So right from the beginning, I gave myself the 100-page mark. I vowed not to quit this book until I got at least that far. And you know what? I'm so glad that I stuck it out.
Letty, Cordelia, and Astrid are fascinating characters to read about. I loved Cordelia's story the most, as I cannot resist the idea of star-crossed lovers. My first impression of Astrid: she's the kind of girl that I can quickly hate. She could easily have been turned into a mean girl, but surprisingly Anna Godsbersen has created such a darling character. She's sweet and friendly and despite my harsh first impression, she's immensely likeable. Letty, of the three, is my least favorite mostly because I just found her too naive. I guess it's not so much of a bad thing, considering she is from the countryside, but her chapters were my least favorite to read.
I never much liked the flapper age before reading this book, and I left with a new sense of appreciation. New York City is indeed painted rich and glamorous from all three perspectives.
The ending is somewhat shocking but it doesn't compare to the tragedy in the Luxe series. I will continue reading on the series and I hope it only gets better from here! BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS is a fantastic historical novel that will take you back to the Roaring Twenties. Letty, Cordelia, and Astrid's experiences will have you hooked from beginning to end.
Fans of Anna Godsbersen's Luxe series will enjoy this one tremendously, as well as fans of historical novels.