The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis was our book club book for January. I listened to the audiobook, but also had a physical copy from the library, so you get page numbers for references instead of timestamps. Look how lucky you are!

Hazel and Maxine meet while doing USO tours for the troops in Italy at the tail end of World War II. After the war, they meet at the Chelsea Hotel while they do work on Broadway. But it's a dangerous time to be a creative in the United States, what with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) starting a witch hunt for communists. What's going to happen to these two?

I thought this book was killer uninteresting until it wasn't. I thought something was going to happen and then it didn't, but something else did and I can't really tell you anything other than that because it's a spoiler. Anyway, when that something else did happen, I became INVESTED. So. Take from that what you will. I'm willing to admit that the characters were pretty superficially developed, but the plot was where it was at.

This was universally liked by my book club peeps. Unfortunately,  because of that, the discussion was pretty minimal. I'm not sure I'd recommend it for a book club if you want to actually talk about the book.  

3.5/5 stars

Lines of note:

"They're not kidding about this stuff. Look at what happened to the Hollywood Ten." Three years earlier, in a challenge to free speech, a group of Hollywood screenwriters had refused to reveal whether or not they were communists. The case had made its way through the courts, but lost a chance to appeal when two Supreme Court justices died within a couple of months of each other, tilting the Court to the right. Several of the Hollywood Ten had recently begun serving prison sentences for contempt. (page 110-111)

The 10 were Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner, Jr., John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott, and Dalton Trumbo.

Hazel looked out at the people on the street, going about their day, worried about a dentist appointment or what to buy for dinner that evening. How wonderful it would be to go back to that state of mundane, everyday bliss. Once this was over, if it was ever over, she'd appreciate the more modest joys of life. But wasn't that what everyone said, when their lives took a terrible turn? (page 196-197)

I thought this was a good way of talking about this. We've all felt this way, haven't we? We hear bad news and stare at other people, thinking about how normal their lives are? 

I'd meet with Arthur tomorrow first thing and tell him that...and to go jump in a lake. (page 246)

We'd always specifically tell people to go jump in Lake Michigan. Do you use a specific lake?

Hat mentions:

...Lavinia came into view, carrying a straw hat with an enormous brim...(page 88)

When he saw them, he took off his hat and fanned his face, an attempt at nonchalance. (page 117)

Hazel hung her hat and coat on the rack and I followed suit. (page 133)

...grabbing our coats and hats from the rack in a fluid motion...(page 138)

...picked out a pretty pink-and-green floral dress and a straw hat with a wide brim for the day's outfit. (page 172)

Hazel fanned her face with her hat. (page 175)

Was the businessman holding on to his hat listening in on their conversation? (page 208)

He looked like a native Californian, dressed in a Panama hat, crisp cotton pants, and a plaid shirt. (page 272)

I pulled on a hat with a wide brim and caught a cab downtown. (page 337)

I shook my head and pulled my hat lower. (page 339)

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Do you tell people to go jump in a specific lake?