Currently Reading: “Park Avenue Summer”

Book: “Park Avenue Summer” by Renee Rosen

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publication Date: April 30th 2019

Synopsis: (Amazon) 

“It’s 1965 and Cosmopolitan magazine’s brazen new editor in chief—Helen Gurley Brown—shocks America and saves a dying publication by daring to talk to women about all things off-limits…

New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown.

For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters. Editors and writers resign on the spot, refusing to work for the woman who wrote the scandalous bestseller Sex and the Single Girl, and confidential memos, article ideas, and cover designs keep finding their way into the wrong hands. When someone tries to pull Alice into a scheme to sabotage her boss, she is more determined than ever to help Helen succeed.

While pressure mounts at the magazine, Alice struggles not to lose sight of her own dreams as she’s swept up into a glamorous world of five-star dinners, lavish parties, and men who are certainly no good. Because if Helen Gurley Brown has taught her anything, it’s that a woman can demand to have it all.“

Picking up this book felt like a no brainer to me. It is described as “Mad Men meets Devil Wears Prada” so sign me up! I love to read historical fiction and the 1960s is such an interesting time to use as a backdrop for a novel. So far I am a few chapters in and it just feels like a natural fit for me. The protagonist is amiable, innocent and determined to be successful. She’s easy to like and I can’t wait to read on and see what happens to her on her quest to become a photographer. 

Happy Reading!