October 15, 2020
Lisa first comes to the Starlite after having to share a cab ride from her job as a Pan Am stewardess. Her boyfriend, Billy, hadn't picked her up, and instead Elaine offers to share a lift. The Starlite, a dress shop by day and a women's social club some nights, pulls Lisa into its intoxicating freedom. Here, in 1962 New York, women can be themselves, dancing, reading poetry, playing games. That freedom does not come without a cost that the men in their lives will ensure they pay, as Lisa, Elaine, and the Starlite's owner, Madeline, all discover. Disappointed in Billy and scandalized by witnessing his father's infidelity during a transatlantic flight, Lisa is torn about the life before her. Elaine lands the job she always wanted and fears telling her unemployed, temperamental fianc�. And Madeline's contemptible ex-husband, his city-council seat on the line, makes it clear that he will not let her stand in his way. As the glittering Starlite sharply contrasts with harsh reality, Martin crafts a charming anthem to female solidarity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)