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The Girl From the Savoy William Morris Paperback
Helen Gaynor |
Audio Length: 15 minutes ‘Sometimes life gives you cotton stockings. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Hazel Gaynor’s third novel, THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY, explores how women’s lives were fundamentally changed by the Great War. The new book takes readers back in time to the 1920s and envisions what it was like in one of the most dazzling ages; all while beautifully capturing the sadness of post-war Britain. Gaynor’s previous novels, The Girl Who Came Home (2014), and A Memory of Violets (2015) illustrated the harrowing era of the Titanic and the gritty streets of London in the 1800s. In THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY, we meet Dolly Lane, a dreamer but a downtrodden maid fractured by the Great War. Memories of the soldier Dolly loved, of secret shame and profound loss, by turns pull her back and spur her on to make a better life. But once Dolly makes her way as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, she takes a step closer to the glittering lives of the Bright Young Things who thrive on champagne, jazz and rebellion. In this Authorlink AUDIO interview, Hazel Gaynor takes us behind the scenes of the development of the book. We learn of what inspired her to write THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY, and what challenges she faces in being a writer, mother and wife. The self-taught author also talks about braving rejection and of the need to never give up hope. In Hazel’s third novel, Dolly’s fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to a struggling songwriter’s ad for a ‘muse’ and finds herself thrust into London’s exhilarating theatre scene and into the lives of celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry. In the end, Dolly must choose between everything she knows and everything she dreams of. A brighter future is tantalizingly close—but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind? A deeply compelling and emotional rags to riches story, Gaynor makes the dazzling era of the 1920s come alive within the pages of THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY. Hazel Gaynor is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A MEMORY OF VIOLETS and THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. She was selected by US Library Journal as one of ‘Ten Big Breakout Authors’ for 2015 and her work has been translated into several languages. Hazel is a contributing author to WWI anthology FALL OF POPPIES: Stories of Love and the Great War. As features writer for national Irish writing website writing.ie Hazel has interviewed Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Mosse, Jojo Moyes and Cheryl Strayed, among others. PRAISE FOR THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY (2016) “Hazel Gaynor captures both the heartache and hope of England between the Wars in this richly imagined novel peopled with unforgettable characters, impossible ambitions and unexpected twists of fate. Once begun, I dare you to put it down.” — Kathleen Tessaro, New York Times bestselling author “A disarmingly charming story of a young woman determined to make her dreams a reality. THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY is as sweet as a love song, as energetic as a tap dance and full of dazzling details about life in London after the disasters of the Great War. I won’t soon forget Dolly Lane, and her rise from loneliness and hardship to the glitter of stardom.” — Jeanne Mackin, author of The Beautiful American “Hazel Gaynor’s artistry as a storyteller shimmers like satin in THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY. Evocative, transportive and redemptive, this is an enchanting gem of a story.” — Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY A Novel William Morrow Paperbacks,
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