Evelyn knows what it means to be hungry. Having experienced the death of her beloved father and her family’s subsequent plummet into poverty despite her mother’s best efforts, much has fallen onto Evelyn’s shoulders at a very young age. Even scrounging in the back of a local restaurant for scraps of food for her and her younger brother is nothing she is not familiar with. At the age of 13, she is brought into Wanamaker’s Department Store to work alongside her mother in order to make ends meet, in spite of her ardent wish to continue in school like her peers. It is here she is discovered by an artist, who sees in Evelyn something she could never have imagined for herself.
This novel is based loosely on the life of Evelyn Nesbit, thought of as the first supermodel, Broadway actress and Hollywood starlet who is known to have come from very humble beginnings. And while much of the story of this fictional Evelyn’s aligns with that of the real one, there is also an inner strength that is developed in the fictional character that we can only guess at with the real one. This Evelyn, our heroine, is used and misused by artists, by various older men, and even by her own mother. She is so young and innocent that she is taken advantage of by so many it is painful to witness. But at some point, she becomes so justifiably outraged, that she develops a plan of escape that is quite brilliant. We are rooting for her all the way.
We also see how so many of the female characters whom one would have hoped would have been supportive of her truly abandon her. Because of her beauty, many are jealous, and many perceive her as being either entitled or spoiled or even evil because of what she’s had to do to survive. Even those she’d thought of as her good friends quickly turn on her when she can no longer advance their status. Even her own mother abandons her when she feels she has made mistakes that might cost them the financial gains they’ve made, turning a blind eye to what her own daughter actually needs. It is disappointingly realistic. Fortunately, however, she does have a few true friends, ones who deeply care for her and worry about her welfare. These are the true heroes.
This is an engaging story, mirroring the life of a female legend. Certainly a worthwhile read!
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