Thursday, June 30, 2016

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford
384 pages, Paperback
Publishes June 2016, NAL Trade Paperback
Source: From the publisher for review, Netgalley
About the Book

London, 1926. American-raised Maisie Musgrave is thrilled to land a job as a secretary at the upstart British Broadcasting Corporation, whose use of radio- still new, strange and electrifying- is captivating the nation. But the hectic pace, smart young staff, and intimidating bosses only add to Maisie's insecurities.

Soon, she is seduced by the work- gaining confidence as she arranges broadcasts by the most famous writers, scientists, and politicians in Britain. She is also caught up in a growing conflict between her two bosses, John Reith, the formidable Director-General of the BBC, and Hilda Matheson, the extraordinary director of the hugely popular Talks programming, who each have very different visions of what radio should be. Under Hilda's tutelage, Maisiediscovers her talent, passion, and ambition.  But when she unearths a shocking conspiracy, she and Hilda join forces to have their voices heard both on and off the air... then face the dangerous consequences of telling the truth for a living.

My Review

Maisie was a great character to follow along through the halls of the BBC at this pivotal time in history. Young, ambitious and a hard worker, she was ready for the changes that came with the  women's right to vote and their increased presence and acceptance in the workplace.

This book mixed history with the drama of workplace romance and espionage. It was a lot of fun and a pleasure to read. Very interesting time in history and what a better place to see it all happening than from the BBC.

About the Author

Sarah-Jane Stratfor grew up in Los Angeles with a deep love of theatre and literature. After earning a bachelor's degree in history from UC Santa Cruz, she then obtained her master's degree in medieval history at the University of York in Britain, where she wrote a thesis about women in the manorial court system which gave her a new appreciation for the modern era.

Sarah-Jane has written articles and essays for a range of publications, including The Guardian, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Marie Claire, Bitch, Slate, Salon, Guernica, and BOMB.

In addition to theatre and activism, Sarah-Jane enjoys knitting ( when the project is submitting to her will) and wandering around interesting places. She currently lives in New York.

For more information about the author and the book visit her WEBSITE.

Happy Reading!
_________________________________________

1 comment:

  1. What style these women had back in the day and how exciting to be able to learn new technology that we often take for granted. It's been fun following your holiday adventures on IG. Your daughter is such a lovely princess.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment! :)