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    Beautiful Days
    Beautiful Days
    Beautiful Days
    Audiobook8 hours

    Beautiful Days

    Written by Anna Godbersen

    Narrated by Caitlin Davies

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

    After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

    Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

    Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes the second book in an epic series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 20, 2011
    ISBN9780062111357
    Author

    Anna Godbersen

    Anna Godbersen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Luxe series. She was born in Berkeley, California, and educated at Barnard College. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

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    Reviews for Beautiful Days

    4/5

    67 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book from Amazon's Audible. The reader, Caitlin Davies was FANTASTIC. Her voice was smooth and she livened the story. I would give Caitlin 5 stars. Sometimes, when listening to a book instead of reading it, the choice of the reader can be a terrible mistake that can negatively affect the book.

      I have read all of Anna Godberson's books thus far. Beautiful Days was a good read, nothing over top but a solid story. No doubt about it, Anna's writing is simply beautiful. She has a way with words. In this second installment the story centers aroung the girls, Letty, Cordelia and Astrid but also features more of Charlie. I liked that Charlie had a bigger role in the story as now he has to take over his Fathers Empire. I enjoyed watching Cordelia getting more aquainted and at ease in her new role and lifestyle. As many have said before me, Astrid is annoying, spoiled and whiny at best. So, I wont say much about her but that she gets in a whole heep of trouble, more than once, for her foolishness.

      Letty, is who I am rooting for to make it big and become the talk of the town. I am hoping in the next installment she has the limelight and the story will revolve around her.
    • 3/5
      A very nice continuation, great pace and interesting story. Great detail without getting lost in it. Really looking forward to the next installment.
    • 4/5
      This could also be titled "The Girls Almost Grow Up," as Letty and Cordelia seem to have finally found their places in 1929 New York. Cordelia has recovered from her immaturity in book one, and is bound and determined to carry on the bootlegging Gray name, while Letty has improved not only in her singing, but in her ability to "reach out and grab" her impending stardom. Astrid is the only one of the trio to have taken several steps back from book one. Her immaturity shows throughout, and almost causes her fiance Charlie Gray to pay more than he'd ever expected he'd have to pay for something in his life.
    • 5/5
      Highly Recommended This is the second book in the Bright Young Things series. The story definitely continues from the 1st book. I would not advise reading the 2nd book as a stand alone because the characters and story have already been introduced. Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur came to New York City from small town Ohio. As the story revealed in the first book, Cordelia Grey was the lost daughter of a famous and wealthy bootlegger. Cordelia’s and Letty’s fortunes changed and they were whisked away from the city by Cordelia’s brother, Charlie, to the family estate. They had food, money, a place to stay and quickly entered high society. Cordelia started getting involved in the family business and Letty kept trying to pursue her acting career. Astrid was one of their new friends who was getting married to Charlie. All three girls found young men they were interested in which let to summer romance. Unfortunately, the romance was followed by heartbreak. There was suspense and betrayal in the bootlegging business. Money and status came before friendship. All the girls had to deal with betrayal and disappointment. It was a good read overall. Like the first book, the historical detail of New York City, the clothes, the nightlife, and the roles of women were portrayed quite accurately. Readers will be learning about prohibition without even realizing it. The writing flows, the characters are likable, and it’s a good mix of suspense and romance. There is a 3rd volume that will be released. I think this is a good book for fun reading in history classes for prohibition or bootlegging topics. It’s a good purchase for a public or school library. Not really too much explicit material, but definitely illegal drinking and allusions to sex. All the girls describe their kisses, with boys, to each other. Based on the cover art and main characters, this book is targeted towards girls. It would be a good historical fiction series for a book club, just not as easy as using a stand alone book for book clubs. Overall, I enjoyed reading it and I look forward to the 3rd book.
    • 4/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book from Amazon's Audible. The reader, Caitlin Davies was FANTASTIC. Her voice was smooth and she livened the story. I would give Caitlin 5 stars. Sometimes, when listening to a book instead of reading it, the choice of the reader can be a terrible mistake that can negatively affect the book.

      I have read all of Anna Godberson's books thus far. Beautiful Days was a good read, nothing over top but a solid story. No doubt about it, Anna's writing is simply beautiful. She has a way with words. In this second installment the story centers aroung the girls, Letty, Cordelia and Astrid but also features more of Charlie. I liked that Charlie had a bigger role in the story as now he has to take over his Fathers Empire. I enjoyed watching Cordelia getting more aquainted and at ease in her new role and lifestyle. As many have said before me, Astrid is annoying, spoiled and whiny at best. So, I wont say much about her but that she gets in a whole heep of trouble, more than once, for her foolishness.

      Letty, is who I am rooting for to make it big and become the talk of the town. I am hoping in the next installment she has the limelight and the story will revolve around her.
    • 4/5
      This book really took off! Set in one of my favorite times, Beautiful Days is great read. What I enjoyed most about this book is the plot. Cordelia, Letty, Astrid lives have taken some unexpected turns. I like that in this book the reader still gets each point of view from the girls. Being in their shoes is fantastic. I enjoyed the parties, the clothes, and also the music. All of the girls face some hard times in the book. There is also something that starts to form, a woman's movement. Women are becoming more independent. I like that the story is also integrated with real history. It has so many aspects of what it is like to live in that era it's like your really there. The love interest for each women played out as expected. Cordelia is learning more about her father and his company that he left heir to her. She is also learning more secrets about her brother and her love of her life. Letty is sort of hanging in the midst. The reader doesn't see much of her. She is great help to Cord and Astrid. And Astrid. This girl got in to so much trouble! Her love is strong but trust has not been built. I am glad though near the end, she learns to trust him. Beautiful Days takes one a whole new meaning of beautiful. Striking and highly entertaining, Beautiful Days is moving. The vibrant city and speak easy clubs, it's no wonder it beautiful.
    • 5/5
      Anna Godbersen just has this magical way of writing that immerses you into another world. Her stories just make me so happy. Beautiful Days picks up about a month after Bright Young Things. Despite the tragedies that occurred at the end of Bright Young Things, Beautiful Days has a very whimsical feel to it. The camaraderie between Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty leaps through the pages and their care-free attitudes as they spend nights on the town reminds me of a few college nights spent with some of my best friends.Even though there are plenty of scenes that will leave you smiling, and in my case pleasantly reminiscing, Beautiful Days still has a lot of danger woven into the storyline—after all bootlegging is an integral part of the characters’ lives. Godbersen’s ability to intertwine these romantic, care-free situations with life-threatening predicaments is remarkable. One of the best things about her writing is how realistic it feels. All the emotions are genuine, the imagery is incredible, the characters are well-developed, and nothing is too easy. There are plenty of books out there that always manage to have all of the situations resolved quite pleasantly—even if the circumstances and emotions involved make this unrealistic. Godbersen always takes into account everything that happens in the story and weaves that into the conclusion. This doesn’t always make for a fairy-tale ending, but it does create an epic story. Godbersen is a shining star in the Young Adult genere. Her next book, The Lucky Ones, will be released in 2013.
    • 4/5
      Anna Godbersen is one of my favorite frosting authors. Her books are pure escape, into a glittering past of beautiful clothes and champagne. Cordelia, Letty and Astrid, best friends and socialites, each have their own problems in this installment. Cordelia is trying to get over Thom, who killed her father in the first book, naive Letty just wants to sing and be famous, and Astrid is engaged to a bootlegger. Of course, life is rather dangerous for these girls, and who knows if they'll all live to see the end of the trilogy? I will certainly read it to find out.
    • 3/5
      At a time when I feel as though a good historical read has fallen by the wayside, Anna Godbersen's novels always seem to deliver. As the follow up to Bright Young Things, we pick back up with Cordelia and Letty trying to make a life for themselves in busy New York City during the days of the prohibition. In the case of a second novel, there is a lot to remember about the first book that I couldn't always piece together. Having said that, I did, slowly pull the story back into one whole so I could enjoy the rest of the story. In what reminds me of a Gossip Girls type of a story, the drama is high and the action is even higher. There's a little bit of everything here, with its showgirls, prohibition, gangsters, wealth, and prestige. However, the glitz and glamour are offset by moments of poverty and crime. There were moments of girls languishing by the pool, in sorrow over whatever male interest wasn't paying them enough attention. That was annoying, but I would suppose, pretty important in the development of a relationship? I can't say that this was my favorite of Godbersen's novels, as the lead female characters feel a bit unreachable and not relatable to me (while her Luxe series characters felt much more real in my estimation), this was still agood YA historical read. I plan on grabbing whatever follow-up comes out next so I can find out what happens to these characters.
    • 4/5
      It's hard to go wrong when it comes to a good historical fiction novel, especially one by the amazing Anna Godbersen. After thoroughly enjoying her Luxe series, it was only natural that Bright Young Things would be just as wonderful. Set in the 1920s, Bright Young Things captured the wild underground world of jazz, speakeasys, bootlegging and flappers in the glitz and glamor of New York City. Beautiful Days picks up not long after the end of Bright Young Things and continues the story of Cordelia, Letty and the other young ladies of New York society during the final summer of the Jazz Age.After only a month in New York, Cordelia and Letty have transformed from small-town girls from Ohio with big dreams to somewhat spoiled socialites. Having befriended young girls from the New York elite, the two girls now find myself spending their days lounging next to exotic pools and their nights in the New York clubs. Letty, though, isn't content to just be a socialite, she's willing to do just about anything for her dream of becoming a singer. Meanwhile Cordelia, who is still reeling from the death of her father, finds herself the head of a speakeasy, complete with bootleggers and other gangsters -including the dangerous, yet attractive Charlie Grey.Godbersen delivers another incredibly vivid and compelling historical novel, with excellent characters and a riveting plot that'll keep readers going up until the very end. Though Beautiful Days isn't as good as Bright Young Things, but its a satisfying follow-up that continues the stories of these compelling characters who are trying to find their way in the wild, yet somewhat dark world of the New York Jazz scene.And I can't wait for the sequel.