I loved the idea behind this book -- finding and interviewing the previous "Ten Girls to Watch". Although not a huge "wow" kind of book I found myself enjoying it and wanting to know more about the TGTW, but not wanting it to end. I was kind of disappointed in all of the successes of the women--not that they'd succeeded, but that the author had chosen to make even those with lives that didn't turn out stellar still be better than average. Overall I liked this book and have started a list of friends to borrow it! The plot was not so unusual. Twenty-three year old Dawn West is just a regular girl trying to make it in New York City. Her on again off again college boyfriend has dumped her for the final time. Her roommate disappears without paying rent. She has a dream to be a writer, but she has settled for typing lawn care advice at 11 cents a word to supplement her many temp jobs. She has even signed up to be part of a study of insomniacs to earn extra money. She is not a party girl. She is not desperately seeking a man. She is just making her way through life the best that she can.She finally lands a job with Charm magazine, but she doesn't even know what her salary will be until she gets her first pay check and finds that after taxes, she is only $12 richer than before she took on the huge task. That huge task is to locate 500 past winners of Charm's "Ten Girls to Watch" dating back to the 1950's. The former college girls had big dreams back then and the magazine wants to host a gala to celebrate the women...who they were and who they have become.Dawn dives into the job and is quite successful. Seems she is a natural for doing research and an even more natural at getting the women to tell their life stories after the college years. Their achievements are impressive...first woman Air Force pilot, opera singers, famous doctors and scientists, architects, composers...it seems as if all the women went on to fulfill their dreams and surpass even their own expectations. Along the way, Dawn knows that she is still not following her own dream of being a writer in the truest sense. She is barely keeping her head above water. But in interviewing the women, she picks up precious nuggets of wisdom, and if not a fiery renewed passion to give writing a chance, she does have a distant hope for the future.As you read this book, you get a profile of some of the contest winners and a sense of how the roles of women changed in 50 years. You get a glimpse at how each decade brought women closer to being more than a pretty face with stylish clothes. You get a sense of what real "sisterhood" is about and how the strong, determined women before us served as role models for the next group of college women. Dawn doesn't find instant success or instant happiness, but she finds herself at long last and is willing to take steps to make her own "happy ending". She, too, will be a role model.
What do You think about Ten Girls To Watch (2012)?
I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars on this one. But I enjoyed it enough to bump it up to the 4.
—Thinley
Cute chick- lit with more than average heart. A light, enjoyable, and mostly clean read.
—rdesr
"What you grow to love, that might be one of life's biggest surprises." p. 72
—chazsaac
I think this will be in interesting book for book club. Lots to discuss.
—Abby
It was ok. I lost interest part way through. I may try again later.
—Thewainers
