A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald by Natasha Lester

This novel captivated me right from the first chapter, I just got completely sucked in to this wonderfully realised 1920s America.  Prohibition is on, women are expected to be subservient and "know their place", the horrors of The Depression are yet to arrive and one young woman is determined to break all society's conventional rules.  Somehow the author manages to deal with what is, essentially, a feminist story without preaching or decrying but by simply letting the story flow.

Our main character is Evie and she has grown up in a middle class home with a mother who is determined to climb socially.  Her mother's sole aim is for her marry the youngest of the Whitford boys as this would be an excellent match from the standpoint of upward mobility.  What better than the son of a banking magnate for her daughter?  Evie has other ideas though.  She has studied literature at college but wants to do so much more - after all Mr F Scott Fitzgerald's stories have shown her that women can do so much more than merely embroider and bear children.  When a former classmate dies by the riverside Evie becomes determined to follow her father's footsteps and become a Doctor.  An almost unheard ambition for a woman but one she is determined to realise.

The tale is told through Evie's eyes and we learn much about society in the 1920s through her.  From detailing the startling contrast in New York between the haves and the have nots with startling empathy to the raucous speakeasys and the flappers that congregate there.  You get a glimpse in to a world where things are changing and get to know some of the women who started the change and the men who support them.  Dealing with unmarried mothers, chauvinistic attitudes and the double standards set for women it shows that really whilst much has changed some of the same prejudices still lurk just beneath the surface.

There is a love story in here too.  Not just the story of a passionate love but love for a child, love for a friend and love for a career.  It is empowering and uplifting.

I absolutely loved every word on the page.  Each and every character has a role to play and is a truly three dimensional person with quirks, foibles and nasty sides to their character - even Evie.  I was swept away in to this world and just did not want the book to end.  When we did reach the end though I was left worried for Evie as The Great Depression is looming on the horizon and I am desperate to know how they come through it.