Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780991500765 |
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| Publisher: | Lynn Steward Publishing |
| Publication date: | 03/08/2015 |
| Pages: | 384 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.85(d) |
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Customer Reviews
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April Snow
4.3 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
3 reviews.
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April Snow, also known as What Might Have Been, is a true-to-form chic lit novel with a story based around the city life in the 1970s, the fashion industry, the art of miniature paintings, and the women’s movement. There is so much more in this than what the typical chic lit novel usually provides. I’m not usually one for girly romance novels but this about a woman who is strong and working on finding the growth within herself without having a man to help her do it. There is some romance but it’s not the focal point of the book.
Dana is a pretty young woman who is driven to further her career as a fashion buyer for one of New York’s top department stores and wants to eventually open her own boutique. She has a talent for being a “tastemaker” which means she can predict what will become hot new trends before they happen. This talent makes her a threat to her colleagues who also want to climb the fashion business ladder. Dana’s also in the midst of divorcing her cheating husband and she is confused about whether she should try to work it out with him and start a family, like all “good” women of the time were expected to do. This is the second book in the Dana McGarry series and it tells about her drive to be who she wants to be, not who society dictates. As is stated at the end of the book, there is “no easy path, no shortcut to achieving success”.
I enjoyed Ms. Stewart’s style of writing and how she developed her characters. They are all very realistic and this, combined with her descriptions of the fashion world, made it a very entertaining and an intriguing book to read. I found her knowledge of the 1970s, the business side of the fashion industry, and the hobby of collecting miniature paintings very interesting. There were times I found the pace a bit slow but then something would happen to catch my interest again. Overall, this is an enjoyable read.
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April Snow by Lynn Steward is the second book in her Dana McGarry series. Having met Dana in the first book of the series – A Very Good Life – we are reminded of her upwardly mobile career in fashion merchandising at a prestigious New York City department store. We now encounter Dana, newly divested of her cheating husband, as she begins a brief but much-needed respite from her life. She opts to spend her time in London, where she tries to get her head back into place. While there she meets by chance a priest who will become her spiritual adviser. But like any creative person will tell you, a creative mind never sleeps. And while on vacation Dana not only comes up with a winner of an idea to take home but also learns that her nemesis – a woman named Helen who is her immediate supervisor – has once again shot down a boutique that Dana had conceived.
Upon her return to New York, Dana is drawn to a man named Mark with whom she’s worked for the last four years. A casual dinner, then another, soon lead to a full-blown romance and Dana finds herself in love. She and Mark conceive of a way to introduce Dana’s creativity into the staid and stodgey department store while working around Helen. Seems like everything is coming up roses for these two. Until an unexpected turn of events and a accident that puts someone’s life at risk turn things around once more and Dana’s dream world comes crashing down. Will she be able to pick up the pieces?
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the 1970s, April Snow is a steadily moving story that will captivate and charm the reader. Ms. Steward’s descriptions are spot on – especially for this reader who is quite familiar with the New York of the seventies. While reading the first book of the series is always desirable, in this case it is not necessary. April Snow is a fine stand-alone book. The character of Dana McGarry is complex. She is at times aggressive in her career goals and at other times quite the young, somewhat naive girl where love and marriage is concerned. At the book’s conclusion, the reader is left wanting to find out what comes next for Dana McGarry.
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Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
April Snow (Dana McGarry Novel Book 2) by Lynn Steward is a women's fiction or what some readers might consider chick lit. The story takes place in the 1970s. Dana is newly separated and wants to prove that she can survive on her own. Her new job is as a buyer at a New York City department store and she wants to shake up the status quo. When she stretches past her normal comfort zone, she finds herself dealing with Mark, a dynamic but complicated businessman, who suggests a surprising fashion move to help push her career in the right direction. Dana wants to experience life to the fullest, but is she ready to embrace Mark and his exciting romantic interest? With her dreams within reach, Dana must decide if she really is willing to give it her all, or if she would be more content to play it safe the way her friends and family suggest.
This is a really well written story that beautifully describes the time period of the 1970s. I don't think another author could describe this era better! I loved the historic content within this story, especially the idea of women desperate for success but given fewer opportunities, less money, and growth than their male counterparts. This is a timely topic, and I think one that readers will care about and be interested in. This story is jam packed with lies, secrets, manipulation, and deception, and it is up to the reader to turn the pages fast enough to keep up with the intense pace.
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