The magic and energy of Madeline’s Starlite social club will sweep you away, making you wish you could join in the fun with these lively ladies if even for just one spirited night! A nostalgic tale of hope and aspiration in a tumultuous era of change, “Glimmer As You Can” stars three women who, while in very different stages of life, each desperately need some “star light” in their lives. Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn Heights in the early 1960’s, this book is one big wallop of nostalgia – even for those of us weren’t born yet.

*A big thank you to Danielle Martin, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for providing this free Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Enter our cast: 20-something Lisa, British expatriate Elaine, and Madeline, a politician’s wife.

Lisa is a Pan Am stewardess who worries about “making weight” and who yearns to marry her boyfriend Billy – even though Billy is often disturbingly distant and cold, and despite the fact that marriage will end her time in the skies.

Elaine longs to be a reporter for the prestigious newspaper “The Chronicle”, yet she settles for applying for a fact checker role, as women typically “aren’t allowed” to be reporters – those jobs go to the men. However, her joy at applying is tempered by her fear at telling her long-time fiancé her plans, as she knows he will not be pleased she is going back to work.

Madeline, is the “glimmering light” for these ladies, along with a lively cast of several other lonely, frustrated, and battered women. As the owner of the Starlite dress shop, Madeline brings cheer and optimism into the lives of everyone she meets. When life was particularly rough in her recent past, Madeline opened the Starlite after hours as a social club for women. Here they dance, they sing, they play cards, read poetry, and generally revel in their freedom and elation, if only for an hour or two, before going back to their strictured lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the debut effort of Danielle Martin. Her writing style was top-notch and her characters conclusively believable. However, I did find myself cringing quite frequently as I read, thinking that the women in this novel must be the unluckiest women in the world, as every single last one of them had an absolute blighter of a man in their life. For this reason I am awarding four stars for “I really liked it”, rather than tipping the scale over to five stars for “I loved it”. Yet, “Glimmer As You Can” was chock-full of sparkling moments and highlighted the healing power of sisterhood, both truly inspiring and read-worthy factors. I highly recommend you give it a read – and let me know what you think!

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Glimmer as You Can takes place in the early 60ies when women were just starting to wake up and feel their power. The ladies that join together and meet at the Starlite – a woman’s club in the basement of a dress shop – are all learning that they don’t necessarily need a man to shine.

The book showcases three women all dealing with problems but finding a place of respite in the woman’s club in the basement of Madeline’s dress shop. Madeline was doing quite well making dresses for women of society until her husband ruined what she had going and she had to start over again and that led to her shop and the formation of the Starlite club. Little did he know the favor he did her …

The women come together for support, to socialize and to just be – free from the strictures that society puts on them. They develop deep friendships are are there for one another in ways that can’t be put into words. When Madeline’s husband returns, things start to change and the strength of the group is tested.

This was an involving yet fast read. The characters were ones I wanted to root for – especially Madeline. Her husband was not a pleasant guy. It was a great way to spend a day escaping from not being able to escape. Thank heavens for books in these days, right? You can get away from everything for a little while. ( )

If you read Fiona Davis' Chelsea Girls or Jennifer Weiner's Mrs. Everything, Danielle Martin's debut novel Glimmer As You Can is a book to put on your TBR pile. Set in 1962 Brooklyn, it tells the story of three young woman trying to make their way in world that tells them men should make the decisions for them.

Madeline is trying to a make a living owning a dress shop. She is stuck in a horrible marriage with Fred, an awful man who is a powerful councilman in Brooklyn. Fred is a serial cheater, and has embarrassed Madeline more than once. He lives with other women, and only comes home to Madeline when he needs a respectable wife on his arm to squire to social events.

Madeline has poured her heart and soul into the Starlite, her dress boutique, but one bad word from her now ex-husband Fred and she could lose her clientele. At night, she turns the Starlite into a salon/dance club, where women come to read poetry, discuss literature and current events, and dance the night away.

Elaine is a British young woman who has lived through WWII and dreams of working for the Chronicle newspaper. She is living with her boyfriend Tommy, an alcoholic, and her sister Catherine is crashing with them and hopes to make a living as a singer. Tommy is an unemployed wreck who wants Elaine with him day and night. When Elaine gets an interview with the Chronicle, she has to decide if her dreams are worth upsetting Tommy.

She hangs out at the Starlite, reading the poetry she has written. One day she has a chance encounter with Lisa, a stewardess, whose boyfriend Billy was supposed to pick her up at airport and never showed up. Lisa loves traveling to Italy and Beirut and all the exciting places she gets to go, but when she marries Billy, she will have to leave her job. Is that what she wants for her future?

We learn a lot about how women were forced to rely on men in 1962. They had to choose between being married or having a satisfying career- you couldn't have it both ways. The women in this novel were free to be themselves only at their nightly sojourns to the Starlite, where Madeline created an atmosphere of acceptance, creativity, and joy.

When Madeline's ex-husband threatens the existence of the Starlight, the women band together to keep the one place that brings them joy. As a fan of the Brenda Starr comics growing up, I would have liked to have learned more about Elaine's job as a fact checker, I found that part of the story so interesting. Lisa's job as a stewardess in 1962 was intriguing as well.

The world was changing, and Glimmer As You Can shows us a time when women decided they wanted more and were willing to defy society's expectations to get it. ( )

In 1962 Brooklyn, Madeline began a women's social club at her dress shop, The Starlight after a messy divorce from her powerful husband. The Starlight provides a place for the women's friendship to grow as they practice art, recite poetry, dance, drink and talk without the disturbance of men. Elaine is a Stralight regular who is struggling with her fiancé after the death of his father. After a trip home Elaine invites Pan Am Stewardess, Lisa to the club. Lisa is worried about her relationship with long-term boyfriend, Billy and what that means for her future. The women all convene at the Starlight for camaraderie and to forget about their troubles. However, Madeline's ex-husband is up for re-election and isn't taking any chances with the women at the Starlight telling his secrets.

Glimmer As You Can is a story of friendship, independence and hope for a group of women in the 1960's. Through the stories Madeline, Elaine and Lisa we are shown how women are breaking barriers yet still contained by the constraints of their gender. Each of the women's characters are distinct and well thought out, displaying different restraints placed on them. Madeline's strength comes from her ability to power through the worst and bring other women together to help one another through. I loved the idea of the Starlight and the atmosphere that the women created. The Starlight showed the power of women's friendship and the spirit of the 1960's. Elaine is trying to break into the career world with a boyfriend who is depressed and unsupportive. Lisa loves the independence of travel, but her job is dependent on her age, weight and marital status and Lisa is feeling the pressure to be married before her age and weight deny her employment. The conflict created with Madeline's ex-husband and Lisa's boyfriend created suspense and danger as well as a reminder that this kind of exploitation was not that far in our past and still happens today. Glimmer As You Can moved at a fast paced and was a great reminder of the power of women working together.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

The year is 1962 and the location is Brooklyn. There is a high end dress shop here that operates as a women's club in the evenings called The Starlite. As the word about it gets out, more women starting attending the evening celebrations of music and poetry and just being free of their daily lives. The book is centered around three main characters:

Madeline owns the shop and started the women's club. She had been married to a local politician who cheated on her and demeaned her. She finds freedom in her life though the female friendships that she makes at the club.

Elaine, a British ex-pat struggling to save her relationship but wondering if it's really worth saving. Her boyfriend seems determined to keep her at his side while he drinks and parties and she longs to get a job in journalism and live her own life,

Lisa is a Pan-Am stewardess who is dreaming of marriage with her boyfriend. Then she can quit her job and rely on him to take care of her until she realizes that this may not be the life she is looking for when she becomes friends with Madeline and Elaine and begins to long for the freedom to live her life as she wants to.

The world deals these three woman a lot of sorrow and bad luck but their friendships helps them get through and the social cub helps them learn what life can really be like.

Glimmer as You Can is a beautifully written novel about female friendships -- friends who are available to help no matter what the circumstances. In a time period when women were just beginning to break out of the mold of the 50s, friendships were the way to find and celebrate new freedoms. Life has changed considerably for women since the early 60s but one thing that hasn't changed is the importance of friends. ( )