Amber BrockCritiques

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow for the first half of the book and at times Vera could get a little annoying. It was also frustrating at times because obviously during the time the book is set in the early 1900's women are treated and required to act differently. I kept thinking grow some ovaries Vera and just say what you want to say to your husband and mother!! I can't even imagine living in that time period. Vera did have very good character development and I really did love the way it ended! There was also a small twist near the end that I didn't see coming which is always nice! I would actually rate it 3 1/2 stars and recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction with a little romance and intrigue.

Some stories told through alternate timelines can sometimes become confusing. That was not the case with this novel. I enjoyed the way the story flowed from 1913 to 1923 detailing the life of Vera, a woman born into a wealthy family with all the responsibility and expectations it entails. She is allowed to go to college at Vassar where she befriends a woman, Bea, who allows Vera to experience world in a way she could never have imagined. Her story is told alternating from her days at Vassar when she gets involved in a situation with Bea, her unconventional friend and ten years later. Vera begins to question all she knew and believed living a protected life of wealth when she begins an affair with an artist who was hired to paint a mural in the luxury building in which she lives with her husband.

The story exposes questions of human nature that we all have about life. Did I make the right decision? Was it the decision I wanted or was it to make other people happy? What happens when you challenge the beliefs and customs you were raised to believe are "best?" What are you willing to sacrifice for a chance to experience a different beginning?

Light and fun are the words that come to mind for describing this book. The main character is a spoiled rich girl in 1950s New York City - so rich she convinces her father she to send her to Miami and then Havana for a little shopping, among other pursuits - and who is yet entirely focused on her place in the social pecking order. As she schemes to ensure she marries the right man, she manages to hurt her best friend and ruin her chances with the one man who has ever challenged her. Thankfully, one of the things this heroine is awakened to in the course of the novel is the unfortunate plight of others. Otherwise, this novel makes for light, easy, fun reading and I enjoyed the character evolution (even if it was predictable) and the atmosphere of the 1950s in New York, Miami, and Havana.

I have to give this book 2.5 stars. In the beginning I liked it and then started to get bored about half way through.

Kitty was one devious woman; only wanting what her friend Hen (Henrietta) had - her boyfriend for status and money and ploys to get him. Her father owned hotels and she do anything it seems from the beginning of the book.

She goes to Miami with Hen and her father's business partner Andre, who her father expects her to marry and two of the band member's in her father's club in the hotel. She falls in love with Max, who is Cuban and is friends with another band member Sebastian.

It ends well but not before she and Hen have a falling out (of course).

It’s the 1950’s, Kitty’s family is among the newly rich.
She’s 25 and her dad thinks it’s time for her to get more serious about life. He insists she gets to know his employee Andre. He thinks Andre would be a great husband for Kitty.

He sets an ultimatum. She should marry Andre or get a real job at his company. He owns a hotel chain and he says that Kitty needs to start at the very bottom by cleaning toilets.

He comes off as pretty intimidating at the beginning of this book and Kitty as pretty flighty.
She feels like she can’t make a good match because she’s new money. But what she most wants is to marry someone from old money so she can establish herself as important.

She doesn’t think her dad understands how hard this is for her.

Kitty’s best friend is old money. Her friend Hen is engaged to a man that Kitty can’t stand. She decides to break them up and marry him herself.

When her and Hen, along with Andre, go to Miami she decides to start her plan. She plants seeds of doubt in Hen’s boyfriend’s head. She encourages Hen to pursue one of the musicians they are traveling with.
But soon Kitty finds herself actually falling for the musician Max.
He’s not at all what she expected. This little snag could totally change her plan.

At the beginning of the book, I found it hard to get into. Kitty seemed a bit childish and selfish in the beginning. But I did appreciate seeing her mature as the book went on.

I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I read it in one sitting. Something about it sucked me in and made me keep reading to see how it would all turn out. Kitty is a master manipulator, and probably should have been an unlikable protagonist, but somehow I just had to root for her. I enjoyed seeing her perspective grow and change throughout the story. Though this is really a light read, it does address issues of class and race in the 1950s. At its heart there's a great message about standing up for what's right. Overall this was a fun, light read and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction. Thanks to First to Read for the advance copy.

Lady be Good by Amber Brock is a journey of self-discovery and almost a coming of age story for Kitty Tessler. Her journey, however, comes in the context of a romance. The romance plots in many ways takes over. The statement about themes of equality and prejudice is still made but in the context of the romance, making both less impactful. The end result is a simpler summer beach read, as the cover suggests.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/10/lady-be-good.html

Reviewed for Penguin First to Read.

This book had it all, I loved the glamorous era plus the different settings. It begins when Kitty Tessler, who is the daughter of a self-made hotel, nightclub tycoon who happens to have made it by a lot of hard work and he's not accepted into the snobby upper-crust "country club" set that his daughter, Kitty so desires to be a part of. She's a beautiful young woman who has it all but it's not enough for Kitty.
Her best friend, Henrietta Bancroft is part of the "country club" set and she's engaged to a man who is a womanizing, cheat who is from a very wealthy family this union is about the worst thing that could happen to poor Henrietta. Everyone knows his true colors but they turn a blind eye to it because basically, it's an arranged marriage between two very social, powerful families.
When Kitty's father, gives her Nicolas gets tired of Kitty wasting time and money chasing what she sees as her dreams, he offers her two choices; she can learn the family business from the ground up or she can marry Andre, her father's second in command. She's blown away, she's not going to marry Andre, who is a perfectly nice man but he's just not for her.
She and "Hen" decide to go to Miami to see how hotels work there as and to keep Hen away from her awful fiance. When they arrive in Miami, they are taken by the sunshine and exotic locale. Kitty learns a few valuable lessons in life when she catches a glimpse of what really matters in life.
That's one of the things I liked about this book was the different settings: New York City, Maimi and finally Cuba. There was a lot too like about this book really. I would like to thank the publisher and Firsttoread for the providing me with a copy of this e-galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book, my second one by this author, and sped right through it.

Kitty and Henrietta have been friends forever. They were both born into wealthy families. One a family with roots and wealth and one a newly made wealthy family. Their adventures in this book are fun and frequent.

When Kitty is told that she needs to settle down and told who she will marry, she spends her time finding a way out of this deal. What she comes up with is risky and pretty darn crazy.

An excellent read set at a time (1950) when women were just starting to see this new thing called "independence".

Thanks to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Kitty Tessler wants nothing more than to find a man she can marry who has status and money so she can finally fit in with New York's elite social circle. It's the 1950s and despite Kitty having money due to her father's hotels and nightclubs, she just doesn't have the old money or pedigree that matters more than anything to the old money set. When her father gives her an ultimatum, Kitty comes up with a plan that will spare her from having to settle down with her father's hotel manager and will hopefully save her best friend, Henrietta, from marrying her cheating fiancé, Charles. But Kitty's world is turned upside down when she meets Max, a member of a band who plays at her father's club. As she spends more and more time with Max, she begins to question many of her beliefs. But with her schemes already set forth in motion it might be too late to change course and her plans could backfire big time.

Kitty is unlikable, manipulative, and shallow but despite those things I found myself highly interested in how her story was going to play out. I'm glad I stuck with the book because even though Kitty is more like this weird caricature at first, there is definitely some personal growth by the end of the story. I loved the chemistry between Kitty and Max and also Kitty's friendship with her best friend, Hen. My only complaint for the book is I needed more from the ending as it felt like too much was jammed into the last few pages and it left me feeling slightly disappointed that an important piece of the story felt more like an afterthought. Overall this was a fun read though and I recommend giving this one a chance because there is some substance to the story than it at first appears.

Thank you to First to Read for the advance digital copy! I was under no obligation to post a review and all views expressed are my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book; any book that I find myself unable to put down deserves a four-star rating from me. "A Fine Imitation" is well-written and engaging as well as an interesting look into high society and how it might not be the best for every type of person--especially the sensitive and artistic. My one criticism is that one of the subplots involving her best college girlfriend, Bea, seems like it's going to have more of an influence on her story, but then never truly gets resolved--it just fades into mystery at the end.

My Review of “Lady Be Good ” by Amber Brock Crown Publishing Group , Publishing June 26, 2018

I enjoyed and was captivated and memorized by “Lady Be Good” by Amber Brock. I love the way Amber Brock vividly describes the lifestyle of the young 1950’s in New York, Miami and Cuba. I have my bags packed and I am ready to go!!.The Genres for this book are Fiction, and Women’s Fiction with a touch of humor, and a trace of suspense.

Then author describes her colorful cast of characters as complex, and complicated perhaps due to the circumstances. Most of the characters are likable. In the era before our media, life may be simple, but people always have certain problems and characteristics. Kitty Tessler, is the wealthy daughter of nightclub tycoon Nicholas Tessler, who has has built his business up by himself. Kitty is adventurous, mischievous, calculating and fun-loving, and tries to act like a socialite. Kitty’s goal or dream is to find a mate that comes from established money with a Pedigree, so Kitty will be accepted in society.

Kitty’s father gives her an ultimatum to settle down with his assistant or start cleaning toilets. Kitty gets involved in her friends relationships, thinking what is best for them. As Kitty travels with her friend and Anton, the assistant to Miami, and Cuba, she starts to see different things that make her think. Kitty’s major plan to fix everything almost destroys everyone she loves.

I appreciate that the author brings up the subjects of social class, and how certain minorities were treated. I highly recommend this novel for readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction and Fiction.

"Is life without love, a life at all, or just a fine imitation?"

1913 to 1923 New York - Here tells the tale of a young woman born into privilege and groomed for society's elite. With the world at her feet, why is her loneliness so painfully palpable. The times were a game-changer. Women were seeking higher education and balking at high society's prescribed order and accession planning. As dutiful daughter, Vera follows her mother's directives and plans...that is until she meets Bea, a fellow Vassarite and a woman of the new age - pushing the behavioral envelope of the most highly bred.

Move forward 10 years, and we find Vera having settled into society's prescribed norm of luncheon at noon, cocktails at 5:00 PM and dinner at 6:00 PM with all her elitist friends. Add to that equation a disinterested husband and an aspiring secretive young muralist with a hidden past. Let the games begin.

I found myself irritated with the main character of the story early on which later morphed into pity. I almost lost interest in the story altogether until her character started to change. I don't want to give it away, but for me, it was worth seeing the story through to the end. Sadly, however, the ending felt a bit rushed.

This is a very good debut for author Amber Bock, whose future as a writer seems radiant and bright.

I am grateful to author Amber Brock, publisher Penguin Random House and LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for having provided a copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.½

Set between 1910 and 1920 A Fine Imitation explores the story of society girl Vera and how she navigated her life through the wealthy but soon learns that the lifestyle is not as free as she had hoped. Vera is longing to go to college and study art history; society quickly puts her in her place with restrictions opposed to a woman of the time. Unhappy to know the regulations put on her, she must learn to want more and fight for it. Amber Brock as created a fascinating read looking at the struggles women went through during the decade that became define at the women's right movement.

A FINE IMITATION BY AMBER BROCK is set in alternating years of 1913 at Vassar and 1923 in New York & follows Vera a girl/& woman of beauty & pedigree. Student of art at Vassar just filling in her time until marriage to a wealthy man , in 1923 married & living at the Angelus a very coveted address on Park Ave. Vera at Vassar is just going thru the motions of college. She knows what her life of the future holds. Vera in Park Ave is also just going thru the motions, her husband is all work & no time for Vera. Then one day Vera meets Emil, an artist paid to live at the Angelus and create a mural in their swimming pool area.

Page after page I turned. Chapter after chapter as the story gets deeper you keep wanting to know what the secret of Vassar is and what Vera will do once she realizes she's in love with another man. I could not put it down until I finished. And at the end I even agreed with Vera about what she did & why she did it.
I recieved this book free from Librarything in exchange for an honest review

Vera Bellington is an extremely wealthy society wife in New York City with an unsatisfying marriage. Her husband is always gone on business, leaving her with little to do, apart from lunches with her mother, directing the staff when to bring her a drink, and society work. When her building hires an artist to paint a mural in the natatorium, Vera is slowly drawn toward him and the two pair off at an excruciatingly slow pace.

This novel is set in the 1920's and it reads like classic literature. And what I mean is that is that nothing really happens except painfully formal dialogue and overly polite flirting. The characters were shallow and not particularly deep. I just could not get into this book and became bored halfway through. It was hard to feel sorry for Vera given her circumstances, even if the time period would not have permitted her to leave her unfulfilling marriage without a scandal. Those who enjoy classic literature and historically-based novels may like this one. It's not terrible, there just wasn't enough character development or story line to catch my interest.

Summary: Vera Bellington has everything a woman could want: a wealthy and powerful husband, a penthouse apartment in one of the most exclusive buildings in the city, summers in Montauk, a place at the pinnacle of 1920s New York high society. Yet she's dissatisfied: her husband Arthur is rarely home, and aloof and distant when he is; her society friends never seem able to rise above gossip to talk about anything of substance, her mother is constantly on the lookout of any traces of "improper" behavior, and she has no outlet for her love of art and art history. However, all of that starts to change when the tenants of the building hire an artist to paint a mural in the building's pool room. Emil Hallan is young, attractive, talented... and mysterious, charming the building's tenants but deftly dodging any questions about himself or his past. Vera is drawn to him, but how can she trust a man she knows nothing about? And in falling for him, is she being lured towards the same kind of mistake she has made in the past?

Review: I am about a year behind on writing reviews, but rather than work on any of that backlog, I'm reviewing the book I finished last night. Why? Because this is 100% the kind of book which will slide right off my cerebellum, and if I don't get it reviewed now, I will have forgotten everything about it in a week. That's not to say that it's a terrible or unenjoyable read, just that it didn't have anything that really grabbed me, or anything that really made it stand out or stick in the memory.

Essentially, this book is what you'd get if you took The Awakening, took away Chopin's lovely atmospheric prose, moved it from Louisiana to New York, moved it forward in time to the 1920s, added in the mother-daughter relationship from Titanic, and a sub-plot about a scandal and a broken friendship from the main character's college days. (As a side note, why is the man who tempts the stifled rich woman to adultery and rule-breaking and becoming her true self always an artist? It's true here, it's true in The Awakening, and even Jack had his drawings of French girls.) But the upshot is, I felt like I'd read this story before, and I don't know that this iteration had much that was new to say.

Brock does draw her characters well - I felt like I knew them all fairly well by the end of the novel (although perhaps that's because none of them stray too far from the archetypes for this type of story.) However, I had a really hard time getting involved in their story. I know it's part of the point, but Vera is SO passive and so capitulating to her mother and her husband and to society's expectations that it's hard to really root for her, and when she finally does stop being quite so passive towards the end of the book, it seems pretty abrupt. There's also an issue of how much we're supposed to be pitying the poor little rich girl that I didn't quite buy into. There is the barest lip service given to the fact that Vera, even given her loveless marriage, has it immensely good compared to almost everyone else in the world, but that's quickly dismissed by Emil saying that she's "living the tragedy she knows." Which, yes, fine, everyone has their own struggles and their own unhappinesses, but it was hard for me to get *too* bent out of shape over the fact that Vera found her life - the life that she had ultimately chosen to live - to be unsatisfying. The one character I liked the most, and thought had the most interesting story, was Bea, Vera's college friend with whom she'd fallen out (although we don't learn the reasons for why until the end of the book). I think a book from Bea's perspective would have been much more lively and much more interesting. Emil's backstory, on the other hand, is also revealed late in the book, but after such a big deal is made out of the fact that he won't tell any of it to any one, when it finally does come out, it didn't quite have the punch to be satisfying after all that build-up, even though it was at least keeping in character.

Ultimately, this book was an easy read, and didn't have anything particularly bad or problematic about it, but neither did it have anything particularly wonderful or new. The Jazz Age setting might attract some people to this novel, but it wasn't really a focus; apart from one visit to the novelty of the cinema and one visit to a speakeasy, and a few mentions about the Bellingtons having to get their alcohol from Canada, this novel could easily have been set in modern times. I was hoping there would be more of an emphasis on art and art history and forgery hinted at in the title, and while elements of these do come into play, they're not really the focus. I enjoyed it enough to finish it, but it didn't have enough substance that I'm ever likely to want to revisit it. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: This book would be fine for a beach or a plane or other light reading that's a little more refined than your typical chick-lit, but honestly? I'd suggest picking up The Awakening instead.

One of the first things that captured my attention for A Fine Imitation is the cover. Whoever said you can’t judge a book by its cover was only half-wrong. The cover model invokes the novel’s main protagonist, Vera Longacre Bellington: glamorous, chic, period, and lonely.
Deep down, Vera has always been lonely. During her college years at Vassar College in 1913 and ten years later when she lives in New York City. I had the feeling that even as a child, an only child at that, that she was lonely. The novel alternates between 1913 and 1923.
Vera loves art and is studying it at Vassar. She befriends Bea Stillman from Atlanta. Bea is everything Vera is not. The two become fast friends as Bea pulls Vera into one adventure aft another. Only when the two get caught on one such adventure, Vera is pulled from the college (with only a semester until graduation) by her very formidable mother. Bea has secrets she is desperately trying to hide. Vera and Bea glimpse each other occasionally, but never speak or acknowledge each other’s prescence.
Fast forward to 1923. Vera lives in the penthouse of the most luxurious apartment building in New York…and one that her husband, Arthur Bellington, built. Vera has everything money can buy: accept love. The couple is close with many of other wealthy couples living in the building.
I’m not sure really how it came to be, but the residents of the building decide they want a mural painted on the tiles in the basement’s Pool Room. A search is conducted, and soon Emil Hallern, a French painter, arrives. As an artist, he has several demands, like not allowing anyone in the room until the painting is complete.
Hallern never talks about himself, which leaves Vera suspicious. The harder she pushes the less he will disclose. Soon, the two are embroiled in a passionate affair, where secrets are revealed, secrets I never saw coming.
Bock’s debut novel, on the surface, reminds me of Melanie Benjamin’s latest title, The Swans of Fifth Avenue. It appears to be almost about nothing…about everyday life among the wealthy, but readers will find themselves knee-deep in human interactions and all that those involve. The title evokes the two parallel stories that run throughout the novel.

This book is a slight notch above the typical chick-lit book, and I was kept wondering at the end how Vera was going to determine her future, so I gave an extra half star for that. Ultimately, it was a satisfying conclusion.½

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow for the first half of the book and at times Vera could get a little annoying. It was also frustrating at times because obviously during the time the book is set in the early 1900's women are treated and required to act differently. I kept thinking grow some ovaries Vera and just say what you want to say to your husband and mother!! I can't even imagine living in that time period. Vera did have very good character development and I really did love the way it ended! There was also a small twist near the end that I didn't see coming which is always nice!½

A Fine Imitation is the story of a wealthy, well-bred young woman in 1920's New York. The narrative switches back and forth, giving us vignettes of her college days and her relationship with her best friend, but the major story line has to do with her relationships with her husband, her mother and a mysterious artist who has been commissioned to create a mural in the apartment building where she and her husband live in the penthouse.

After a bit of a slow start, the story becomes very readable. Amber Brock paints an interesting portrait of the benefits and constraints of being wealthy and young woman during that point in our history.½

"I saw in you someone who know what it's like to need to be free. I vowed to free you."

This was so good! I enjoyed this book so much. The time period, society, expectations...it was so fun. And the ending was so great; I've been needing a feel good book. All the little twists were wonderful.

New York City 1923: Socialite Vera Bellington appears to have it all… but appearances can be deceiving.

10 years earlier, Vera is an Art History major at Vassar College when she meets Bea, a free spirit who liked to shake things up. Bea shows her how to live in the moment but unfortunately it appears short lived. 10 years later, now married, her life is rather dull and devoid of any feeling or excitement... that is until a mysterious artist arrives to paint a mural in the basement pool. He reignites her love of art and she find herself drawn to him more and more each day but who is he? What secret is he hiding?

I was intrigued by this story at first. I anxiously awaited the connection between her past and the current events but unfortunately it never really happened. The two snippets of her life were just that, snippets. You got to see her as young and full of life juxtaposed against her rather desolate life 10 years later but there was no real ah-ha moment connecting the two timeframes. Yes, her friendship with Bea is revisited but I found their story rather flat and would have liked more. Even the big reveal about her new romantic interest seemed disjointed, a disclosure that had such build up seemed detached from the tone of the book. As a history major, I understand why but as a reader it seemed misplaced as little was alluded to ‘it’ throughout the story. Overall a light read...

Loved the audio, read by Julia Whelan---it just plain builds, going back and forth between two times periods in Vera's life.

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for a review.

Vera was a young woman of privilege, who grew up in the ‘20s. Her one attempt to break out of the mold she is being formed into, results in a confrontation with her Mother. It isn’t until years later, when she once again steps away from being the proper wife and the proper daughter, that she finds a man who banishes the restlessness within her life. But can this mystery man give her the future she feels she is missing?
The story left me wanting more. It was too predictable and I found Vera’s character uninspiring.