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Review to come.Actual rating 3.5.
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.
So, my deep dark secret is that a few years ago, I was writing a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, and then I frogged* it for several reasons. But during that time, I didn’t read any of the multitude of TDP retellings that were being published. The Princess Curse is the first I’ve picked up since then, and I really liked it. It weaves in the Persephone myth at the end as well, and I was JUST THINKING how much I want more Persephone retellings. Anyway, I liked it, although I was sort of wilfully ignoring Reveka’s age because of reasons. I also think the cover skews the book a bit too young–I would love a beautiful Kinuko Crafty cover that reflects the mythological richness of the book a little more.
* This is a knitting term, and I’m sure there’s an equivalent writing version, but I don’t know it.
While reading it I remembered hearing of the story in my childhood. strangely enough though it wasn't a favourite of mine back then many of the things that disturbed me now I couldn't care less about as a child. Twelve princess sneaking out each and eery night to dance with their beautiful handsome princes. well, they didn't care for all the princes that tried to discover their secrets and just ket them be executed!moreover, why just not tell daddy what you're doing? and what's the point? that some tired solider became a king? that he married the princess he chose? well how did she feel about that?I don't know, I mean, sure it's a fairytale that was written in a different time but so many things just get on my nerves. but as a child I did like it though. now as for the illustrations- I do not rmeber them from when I was young, and now I just read the text. but as I know myself quite well (what? don't give me that look! it's not like I know everything about myself! why, do you?) I'm pretty sure one of the reasons I had no problem with the story was because the illustrations were good, if they were ugly Judgemental little me probably would have remembered.
A very gentle and pleasant version of the fairy tale, with all all elements of threat, suspense, and danger removed. There is no punishment for failing to discover the princesses' secret; they aren't suffering in any way or even enchanted. The king just wants to know what's going on with his daughters, and they won't tell him because... uh... Okay, this story is pretty implausible in its original form, but the watered-down form is even more so. 
