Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsGood concept but badly executed
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 26, 2022
I was drawn to this book by the author's setting in a post-war lake resort. It was an interesting slice of life, and she did well evoking the whirl of a summer resort, including operations behind the scenes. But I think she blew it otherwise. Her descriptions of the owners and guests at the Jewish resort showed unnecessary disdain. Perhaps she might have included some context for why it was a Jewish resort--namely that resorts and hotels in those days did not admit Jews. Because Jews were not allowed to stay in resorts and hotels, they developed their own. Overall, the book gave an impression that the author spent more time researching the lipstick colors popular in 1951 than she did the social and historical influences on the resort community setting. Add to that a vapid princess as protagonist, who, along with the other characters, could have been much more interesting in the hands of a better author. Instead we got more than anyone would ever care to know about lipstick colors in 1951 or 2017. In the hands of a better author, this could have been a lovely book. Instead, it was dreck (as the characters would say).
