This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I did like this book. I have had a review copy of this book for a very long time and I have to admit that I didn't remember a whole lot about what the book was about when I got started with it. I now realize that this book is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I have a small confession to make...I don't know a lot of fairytales well. I pretty much know what Disney has covered. I was discussing this book with my teenage daughter after I finished it and was reminded that we once had the Barbie version of the story. So I can't really make any comparisons to the original story but I thought it was enjoyable on its own.

Jo is the oldest of twelve girls. She lives in the attic along with her sisters. Her mother is gone but she rarely saw her anyway. Jo is the one who really takes care of her sisters and also deals with their father's demands. The girls have one bright spot in their lives and that is dancing. Once the house goes quiet, they sneak out to dance at the local clubs. They know all of the dances and are quite popular with the gentlemen looking for a partner.

I liked Jo and respected her dedication to her sisters. Some of her sisters didn't even realize how much she gave up for them. I also really liked the second oldest sister, Lou. I loved the relationship between Lou and Jo and thought that they really worked well as a team. I must say that I had a really difficult time keeping a lot of the sisters straight and felt that they just kind of blended together. There were a couple of other characters that stood out in the story, like Tom, but I do wish that I would have had a better feel for all of the sister's personalities.

I chose to listen to this story and thought that Susie Berneis did a great job with the story. I think that she handled the character voices very well and the dialogue in the story flowed well. I think that she was able to add excitement to the story as well. I found her voice to be very pleasant and easy to listen to for hours at a time.

I would recommend this book to others. I think that readers who enjoy retellings or books set in the Jazz Age will enjoy this story. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of Genevieve Valentine's work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

Initial Thoughts
This is probably closer to a 3.5 star read for me. This is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses and I enjoyed this story despite not really knowing anything about the original. Jo was a great character and there were a few others within the group of sisters that really stood out but at times the group could be a bit overwhelming to try to keep straight. Once the story really got moving, I started enjoying it quite a bit more than I had in the earlier sections. I decided to listen to the audio and I thought that the narrator did a fantastic job with this story.

The Girls at the Kingfishers Club is the retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale, set in Manhattan during the Jazz Age.

The year 1927, there were 12 girls, the Halmilton sisters, confined by their father at their Manhattan townhouse. This led them to sneak out of their house when the sun went down to dance the night away at fabulous jazz clubs. The sisters enjoy their nocturnal ventures, but for the sake of keeping their identity safe they never give their real name; hence everyone at the dancing scene calls them “princesses”.

Mr. Halmilton has heard some rumors that the daughters of storied families were

“lured in numbers, by immodest music and the demon drink, like princesses into that dark underground which leaves no innocent unsullied”.

This made him realize that his daughters are reaching a certain age, so he decides to arrange lunches/interviews at their home with possible suitors for each of their daughters.

This doesn’t keep the girls from their nightly dancing adventures, until one day, they are caught in a raid that separates them. They are forced to run for their lives and to live for the first time apart from each other and away from home. Will they be able to survive on their own? Will they find true love, rejoin as a family and live happily ever after? That’s for you to find out. ;)

The setting is marvelous. I felt transported to the 1920s. I could picture the underground clubs, listen to the jazzy tunes and imagine the outfits and hairdos in my mind. The lovely feminine woman in the cover was also a great aid for my imagination.

The story is OK. It’s not a bad book. I had trouble with these:
- There were too many characters and I couldn’t completely bond with them.
- The sisters don’t get the same exposure in the story.
- I also felt like there where loose ends.
- The other thing that didn’t do it for me was the lack of romance. More in depth thoughts about this on the full review on my blog.

The Girls at the Kingfishers Club is a book I recommend as transitional read, a short quick story in between long and heavy books. If you like stories about sisterhood this is the book for you. If you like to listen to 1920s jazz this is the book for you. If you’re of age, this story is the perfect companion for your gin on a summer afternoon. If you’re a fan of fairy tales retold, this is the book for you. It takes you away back to a place and time that is more believable than the original fairy tale.

 

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DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

I received an Electronic copy of this book but was not financially compensated in any way nor obliged to review. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my personal experience while reading it. This post contains affiliate links.

Loosely based upon the fairy tale 'Twelve Dancing Princesses.' Eldest sister Jo is the closest thing her eleven sisters have to a mother in a household run by a distant, controlling father. She teaches them to dance and herds them to and from the dance clubs to keep them safe and secret, until one day her father decides it's time to for them to marry -- to his benefit -- and not only that, but he suspects that they have not been keeping to their attic abode, but instead sneaking out to dance.

I listened to this as an audio book.

I don't really have much to say about The Girls at the Kingfisher Club except that it was a jazz age glory, and it both broke my heart and kept me up all evening -- and then all night -- finishing the book. I staggered into work the next day running on three hours of sleep with red eyes and exhausted, and then had a hard time reading anything else for more than a month. Do you hear that, Valentine? You wrecked my reading goal for the year, thanks a lot.

I don't tend to push books at my friends, mostly because I never know if they share my interests enough to enjoy my reading habits, but I've been singing this one to anyone who will listen to me for thirty seconds. The audio book is great. The story is great. It ended just where I think it ought to have, and no, I do not want a sequel, just more like it. Hosannah, hosannah, The Girls of the Kingfisher Club rocks, hosannah.

An absolutely wonderful feminist take on the Brothers Grimm tale.  Highly recommended.

 

http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2014/06/under-moonlight-serious-moonlight.html

Just not grabbing my attention so, I've moved on to Brutal Youth.