Review by Booklist Review
In a bit of a departure for Green (The Friends We Keep, 2019), she transports readers back to England and Morocco in the swinging sixties, when 19-year-old good girl Claire gets kicked out of her home by her stepmother, forcing her to go to London to seek gainful employment. When she starts dating a music manager, Claire finds herself brought into the orbit of her rock idols. She quickly becomes fascinated with members of the Wide-Eyed Boys, including volatile lead singer Dave, guitarist Eddie, and Lissy, the beautiful groupie they both love. Rechristened CeCe, Claire makes the impulsive decision to jet off with the trio to Marrakesh, where she finds herself getting involved with John Paul Getty Jr. and his magnetic wife Talitha, who mesmerizes Claire. As Claire begins to experiment with drugs and sex, she finds herself seduced by the lifestyle of the Gettys, the Wide-Eyed Boys, and everyone in their orbit until she starts to see some of the ugly truths behind the glamorous façade. An enticing exploration of a bygone era in a fabled city and some of its real-life luminaries.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Green (The Friends We Keep) delves in her shimmering latest into the short life of real-life Dutch socialite Talitha Getty, via the perspective of a woman who met her during the swinging '60s. As an English widow named Claire goes through her attic, she discovers a box of mementos from her trip to Morocco in the 1960s. Green then flashes back to 1966 Dorset, where Claire, eager to get away from her critical stepmother, flees to London and finds work at a women's clothing store. Claire begins dating John McKenna, who introduces her to people in the music industry, members of the newly popular Rolling Stones among them. As Claire becomes immersed in London's vibrant 1960s music scene, she joins her newfound friends on a trip to Morocco where she meets Talitha Getty, a beautiful fashion figure and wife of J. Paul Getty Jr. Claire enjoys her close friendship with Talitha and is drawn into Talitha's indulgent world of drugs and sex, until the glamour of that life wanes when an accident befalls a member of Claire's new circle. Green convincingly describes the appeal of the music scene, as well as the allure of her beautiful characters, both famous and fictional. Green's fans will be delighted by this story of glitter and tragedy. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In the late 1960s, Claire escapes her small-town life and its attendant burdens--a nasty stepmother, an unrequited love--for swinging London, then follows up a rumor about a truly happening place and heads to Marrakesh. At a hideaway where music, drugs, and communal living reign, she meets Talitha Getty, socialite wife of the famous oil heir, and a special friendship is born. The New York Time best-selling author's first foray into biographical fiction; with a 125,000-copy first printing.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A small-town British girl relocates to London, where she gets involved with a fast crowd that introduces her to psychedelic drugs, free love, and complicated questions. In 1960s England, Claire Collins has long yearned to leave rural Dorset and build a bigger life full of glamour. When her widowed father remarries, her desire to hit the road only intensifies. After a particularly nasty fight with her stepmother, Claire boards the first train to London with little more than pocket money and determination. After a dicey beginning, she finds lodging in a hostel and a job working as a shopgirl. Then she meets John McKenna, a young man with connections to the burgeoning British music scene. Before long, John is introducing Claire to one celebrity after another, well-known musicians and famous groupies. On a whim, Claire's new famous friends bring her to Morocco, where she meets Talitha Getty, the wife of enormously wealthy Paul Getty. As Claire falls under the dizzying spell of riches and nonstop parties, she tries everything her new friends offer her, from LSD to opium and orgies. The more deeply entrenched she becomes, the more she begins to wonder whether the new life she's created for herself contains more pitfalls than prizes. Chock-full of vibrant historical details about London and Morocco in the 1960s, Green's first foray into historical fiction does not disappoint. The novel shines brightest when Claire, who narrates, first arrives in London and again when she forms her initial impressions of Morocco. Green portrays the scenery and atmosphere so vividly that readers will be instantly transported. The descriptions of Marrakech, with its bright colors and beautiful architecture, present an especial sensory delight. While Claire seems to believe the story she tells is about Talitha, the narrative is really about an average girl's brief brush with fame during an unprecedented time, tackling difficult questions of self-doubt, fulfillment, and individual purpose--complete with cameo appearances by Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and a host of others. A provocative story about youth culture during the 1960s, overflowing with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
