ISBN: 1409116069
Here's my review:
An enjoyable and insightful read.
I felt as though some of the characters in this book had become my friends - it's all in the way Tate portrays them I guess, maybe it's that I saw a little of myself in Barbara.
The end of the book almost had me feeling like I was grieving for someone, yet you could almost see it coming - I still found myself reading on to find what became of these people, and with each person a hope of happier times. Although it wasn't the case I would certainly read this again.
Tate raises good points on how the girls who were running their businesses were pushed out of sight for seedy massage parlours to spring up and billboards with women who weren't dressed as well as the working girls may have been.
After reading this book I had to hand it back to my local library (which incidentally is in a red light district) and felt a pang of loss at putting it on the counter. It was easy to feel for the characters and you felt like you really knew some of them, especially Barbara.
On the whole I feel like I have caught a glimpse into another, darker yet crazy and hectic world and am happy to have 'met' those girls.
