I pounced on this one and was eager to start it as the cover had teased me from various bookshelves, and one day at the library I saw it's new cover peaking out at me. So even with six reserves to pick up, I took it out as well and started it first.
We get to meet Betty who grows up on Guernsey looking after her elderly grandmother until her death. Finding a few clues to a woman mentioned in the will, Betty escapes to the mid nineties Soho London with just a few pounds and a mink coat.
Alternating with Bettys story, we get to meet Arlette her grandmother who is twenty one and newly arrived in London at the house of her mothers friend. Falling into a job at Libertys and evenings spend with a painter and his musician friends, Arlette begins to find her feet.
I found myself just a bit annoyed with this book. The characters never really sunk in for me, and I was a bit confused in the first chapter having to reread parts of it again, to figure out who was who. I lived in midninties London, and had quite a good time, but I found myself a bit bored by Bettys clichéd live next to a rock star story and Arlettes live like a bohemian tale. I guess I just found it a bit hard to click with the story and in the end I liked the cover of the book more than the story itself. 2/5
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