Bad Girls, Good Women

In the late 1950s, Julia and Mattie, two English teens, flee the stifling confines of their suburban homes for the excitement of swinging London. Over the span of three decades, Thomas ( The White Dove ) makes their lively friendship glow with rude life. From the dim dance floor of the Rocket Club to the streets of Soho and on into the English countryside, the two charm and bluff their way into parties, hearts and careers. As an actress in a gritty modern play, Mattie strikes gold first. Julia drifts aimlessly into marriage with a member of the landed gentry, but a ruinous fire and an unassuaged longing for the love of an elusive aviator sends her back to London to carve out a niche for herself. Thomas has a gift for breathing life into settings and situations that in other hands might be overly familiar. By turns romantic and poignant, and brimming with vitality and spirited dialogue, her deftly written, emotionally involving novel should bring her new fans. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/ promo. BOMC main selection. (May)