My "in a nutshell" summary...
This book is about Dawn...her relationships, her job quests, her frustrations, her hopes, her wondrous humor, and the way she interviews some fabulous women.
My thoughts after reading this book...
Dawn has had pretty much the absence of a career after college...she temps. She lives in an absolutely crummy apartment in Brooklyn. She writes an advice column on lawn care to earn extra money. She takes part in a sleep study to earn extra money. Her coffee table is a cardboard box. She can't let go of her relationship with Robert...ex boyfriend and pretzel heir. In a roundabout way her ex boyfriend's fiancé is responsible for connecting Dawn with a freelance job for a magazine called Charm. She is temporarily employed. Charm magazine is known for its yearly publication of an issue called...Ten Girls To Watch. Dawn is tasked with contacting and writing about women who were voted the "Ten Girls To Watch" over the last fifty years.
What I loved most about this book...
I truly loved Dawn's quirky character. I loved her humor, her struggles, her insecurities. I loved the way the story is told...sort of in little vignettes and illustrations that go along with the women she is interviewing. There is something special about Dawn that allows the women being interviewed to truly open their hearts to her. Some chapters begin with names and quotes from some of the women and other chapters are about Dawn...her life, her family, her relationships. Another absolutely lovely part of this book was learning about the lives of these women. They are teachers, scholars, scientists, judges, writers, entertainers, and more.
What I did not love...but not really...
There are aspects of Dawn that are so sweetly sad. She is so excited to get this job and she winds up in a basement working alone making not much more than her temp job earned. Perhaps also I didn't love that her life was so hard...awful furniture, a horrible roommate, veggie patty dinners. And perhaps I didn't love the way she couldn't let go of Robert totally but that was partly Robert's wishy washy self, too. I also wanted her to be stronger about her new relationship with coworker Elliott.
Final thoughts...
I loved this book. It was beautifully written and very unique. It was fun. It was insightful. I loved reading about the lives of the women. I loved reading about what they accomplished and how their lives were changed. I loved reading about Dawn...lips are sealed as to whether she has a happy ending...or not!
Real issues were addressed in a delightfully entertaining way. At times I smiled at Dawn's thoughts but there were also times when she brought quick tears to my eyes. I loved Dawn...I wanted to pat her on the back, pour her some wine, let her cry and then try to get her to understand how truly wonderful she really is.
Sigh!
Special note...
This isn't really Chick Lit...it's more like Women's Lit.
