The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison

The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Nicola Harrison’s The Show Girl gives a glimpse of the glamorous world of the Ziegfeld Follies, through the eyes of a young midwestern woman who comes to New York City to find her destiny as a Ziegfeld Follies star.

It’s 1927 when Olive McCormick moves from Minneapolis to New York City determined to become a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. Extremely talented as a singer and dancer, it takes every bit of perseverance to finally make it on stage. And once she does, all the glamour and excitement is everything she imagined and more—even worth all the sacrifices she has had to make along the way.

Then she meets Archie Carmichael. Handsome, wealthy—the only man she’s ever met who seems to accept her modern ways—her independent nature and passion for success. But once she accepts his proposal of marriage he starts to change his tune, and Olive must decide if she is willing to reveal a devastating secret and sacrifice the life she loves for the man she loves.

She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to get it–within reason.

Olive is a complicated girl and she’s living in a fantastical time. Nicola Harrison has written an interesting story. I like tales from the 1920s and I knew I had to snap this one up when I saw it. The writing flowed well and I was swept up in the excitement of the time. There were moments when I really did feel like I was there at the theater with her and could see the world around Olive. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. It kept me in my seat needing to know about Olive.

I have to admit there were times when I didn’t like Olive. I didn’t like her because of her naivete and some of her choices. That said, there were times she didn’t seem to like herself. That made her more relatable. I wanted to see her succeed and get her dreams.

This story moved along at a great clip and while there were times it wasn’t so much fun–good grief they drank a lot–I liked the struggle within Olive to be the good girl while also following her dreams.

If you’re looking for a fun story that has some heavy spots and will keep you entertained, then this is a great step into the 1920s story. Pick it up!