Set in the 1940s, The Florida Girls follows 18-year-old Thelma Miles who, after the death of her mother, falls into a troupe of singing and dancing swimsuit models on a war bond tour across America. The girls find themselves rubbing shoulders with organised crime.
Told from differing points of view, we see the inner lives, struggles and motives of various characters, for instance Kathleen Young, the troupe organiser, married to Doc Young the disabled snake oil salesman. Thelma, the young girl with an old head on her shoulders negotiating her way through complex relationships and plots. The Giancarlo family, part of the local mafia. I liked these different perspectives told in separately headed chapters. Kirchner moves the story along swiftly, dropping in field reports from US intelligence, ramping up the tension as their focus moves from one character to another.
The book offers a wealth of period detail, most notably in the costumes and clothes of the characters – “Kathleen Young raced for Sun City’s front door as much as her pencil skirt allowed speed.” What came across to me was the warmth the girls had for each other despite coming from differing social and racial backgrounds. Thrown together in the troupe, they face success and tragedy together.
The close of the story offers an intriguing ending which sets up the next stage of the Queen Pin Chronicles.
I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.
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