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judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars
Bond Street, really Oxford Street, even so, it was indisputably one of the better stations. Norman Collins delivers BOND STREET STORY, a charming, nostalgic novel of post-war London set in a glamorous department store, Rammell's.
Rammell’s is famous. It has everything. A London department store. You could be clothed, fed, furnished, kept amused, and ultimately buried entirely by Rammell’s. Provided you are in the right income bracket.
Irene Privet, was only seventeen. Still living in the full turmoil of adolescence. Life opened out in front of her down a long corridor of chaos and confusion. She longs for the bright lights of stage.
Readers meet a variety of eccentric characters from Rammell’s—each with their connections, loves, hopes and dreams. From young to old and those in between.
The family From the owners, retired Sir Harry, and his son Eric with his digestive problems, his wife and son Tony -- to the newest salesgirl Irene, daughter of one of the shop-walkers Mr. Privett. Mr. Bloot, the senior shop-walker falls in love and marries. Tony has a fling with the model Marcia and Eric, in straightening this out, assumes Marcia as his responsibility until she pulls a mink bomb -- and it is Sir Harry who, at the end, takes Marcia off everyone's hands.
From life in the fifties— glamour, gossip, romance, intrigue with a cast of charming, and memorable characters. A look at post-war London when life was bustling –from shop girls, typist, cashiers and secretaries who running the show.
Broken down in sections with short chapters:
Book One: Reluctance of a Female Apprentice
Book Two: Love and the Shopwalker
Book Three: private Affairs of a Leading Model
Book four Case of the Missing Budgies
Book Five: Bond Street in Retrospect
A timeless classic lighthearted fictional account, reminding us of the days when at one time or other in our younger years, there was always a job at an upscale department store (which we now call a boutique)--always those in charge. You can feel the buzz and nostalgia—Collins brings the characters to life in a simpler time.
Love the glamorous new cover!
JDCMustReadBooks
Bond Street, really Oxford Street, even so, it was indisputably one of the better stations. Norman Collins delivers BOND STREET STORY, a charming, nostalgic novel of post-war London set in a glamorous department store, Rammell's.
Rammell’s is famous. It has everything. A London department store. You could be clothed, fed, furnished, kept amused, and ultimately buried entirely by Rammell’s. Provided you are in the right income bracket.
Irene Privet, was only seventeen. Still living in the full turmoil of adolescence. Life opened out in front of her down a long corridor of chaos and confusion. She longs for the bright lights of stage.
Readers meet a variety of eccentric characters from Rammell’s—each with their connections, loves, hopes and dreams. From young to old and those in between.
The family From the owners, retired Sir Harry, and his son Eric with his digestive problems, his wife and son Tony -- to the newest salesgirl Irene, daughter of one of the shop-walkers Mr. Privett. Mr. Bloot, the senior shop-walker falls in love and marries. Tony has a fling with the model Marcia and Eric, in straightening this out, assumes Marcia as his responsibility until she pulls a mink bomb -- and it is Sir Harry who, at the end, takes Marcia off everyone's hands.
From life in the fifties— glamour, gossip, romance, intrigue with a cast of charming, and memorable characters. A look at post-war London when life was bustling –from shop girls, typist, cashiers and secretaries who running the show.
Broken down in sections with short chapters:
Book One: Reluctance of a Female Apprentice
Book Two: Love and the Shopwalker
Book Three: private Affairs of a Leading Model
Book four Case of the Missing Budgies
Book Five: Bond Street in Retrospect
A timeless classic lighthearted fictional account, reminding us of the days when at one time or other in our younger years, there was always a job at an upscale department store (which we now call a boutique)--always those in charge. You can feel the buzz and nostalgia—Collins brings the characters to life in a simpler time.
Love the glamorous new cover!
JDCMustReadBooks
booktwitcher23's review against another edition
3.0
7/10 a gossipy read, which as stated on the cover is Dickensian. However, it was perhaps, overlong.