The Girl From The Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

review

Although The Girl From The Savoy is full of intriguing ideas, it ultimately suffers from a lack of direction as Gaynor is trying to juggle too many stories at once which left me feeling unsatisfied. The opening chapters describe Dolly’s life as a new chambermaid in the Savoy, one of London’s most prestigious hotels, and the dazzling array of entertainers who walk through the door on a daily basis offer a wealth of material to fill an entire book alone. The hotel is often described as being a living entity with its own rhythm but we never really get a chance to feel it as Dolly is constantly looking outward. Dolly’s success isn’t born from her experiences in the Savoy but more from her association with Perry and Loretta, and I think it’s a real shame the history of “London’s most famous hotel” wasn’t explored more.

Dolly is an interesting character and I admired her determination to make a better life for herself but her dream of being a dancer just never rang true to me. Although we are told Dolly has been to several auditions, we don’t get to see her actually attend one until much later and she never seems to practice other than at the weekly tea dances she attends with a friend. Yet, Dolly is convinced she is good enough to be part of a chorus line and is just waiting for the right opportunity. When Dolly is taken under Loretta’s wing, we are given no sense of whether Dolly has genuine talent or not as Loretta seems more focused on teaching Dolly how to stand out from the crowd. Apart from a few dress fittings, we aren’t privy to Loretta’s actual lessons, yet within a few months, Dolly is ready to audition for a part in the chorus line and from there she rises rapidly to leading lady status.

The story’s narrative is shared by Dolly and Loretta, and one other person who will be revealed later, but I never felt I got to know Loretta very well despite the tragic revelations from her past. Loretta is already a well-established actress by the time we meet her and she appears to have been an overnight sensation, while also taking time out to nurse the wounded during the war. Loretta, the daughter of a peer, defied her parents to become an actress but it seems to have caused her no real hardship as she has gone on to achieve great success. Yet, Loretta will then casually drop a hint about having used morphine in the past to blunt her emotional pain, however it is never fully explored! Since she knows her time is short, Loretta wants to leave a legacy behind in the shape of Dolly who she hopes to teach everything she knows about being an actress. It’s just a shame we aren’t privy to those lessons.

The third narrator I mentioned is Teddy, the man Dolly hoped to marry, who returns from the war suffering from shell shock. Although Dolly initially stays by his side at the hospital, she slowly comes to the realisation Teddy may never remember her and their hopes for a happy future have been stolen from them. Teddy had always urged Dolly to follow her dreams, so she reluctantly decides to leave him behind but the guilt of abandoning him never quite leaves her. While I appreciate Gaynor was trying to show how the war affected all their lives, Teddy’s narrative never seems to quite fit in with the story and I’m afraid I found myself skipping his chapters.

I’ve read all of Hazel Gaynor’s books to date, and while they always seem to be about interesting subjects, I’m often left frustrated by how she chooses to execute those ideas. The Girl From The Savoy would’ve been an excellent story if the showbiz stuff had been cut out in favour of showing life at the Savoy and Dolly coming to terms with her past. Yet, it would’ve also been an excellent book if Gaynor had chosen to focus on the relationship between Loretta and Dolly, and we had been given a more realistic portrayal of Dolly’s rise to fame. Trying to incorporate both elements is detrimental to the book as a whole as neither is given the attention it deserves and that is why I feel cheated.