Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2016
Pages: 384
Rating: Do Not Recommend
Synopsis: London, 1926. American-raised Maisie Musgrave is thrilled to land a job as a secretary at the upstart British Broadcasting Corporation, whose use of radio - still new, strange, and electrifying - is captivating the nation. But the hectic pace, smart young staff, and intimidating bosses only add to Maisie's insecurity.Soon, she is seduced by the work - gaining confidence as she arranges broadcasts by the most famous writers, scientists, and politicians in Britain. She is also caught up in a growing conflict between her bosses, John Reith, the formidable Director-General of the BBC, and Hilda Matheson, an extraordinary director of the hugely popular Talks programming, who each have very different visions of what radio should be. Under Hilda's tutelage, Maisie discovers her talent, passion, and ambition. But when she unearths a shocking conspiracy, she and Hilda join forces to make their voices heard both on and off the air. . .and then face the dangerous consequences of telling the truth for a living.
Review: What the synopsis doesn't tell you is that this is actually a history of the BBC and of England at this time, but done in the historical fiction genre. Many of the characters were real, although the author took some liberty with the details of their lives and their motivation. Maisie herself is the author's creation.
I started listening to the audio, which I was actually enjoying, but there seemed to be an issue with the CDs themselves so I switched to print. I never became fully engrossed in the story, and at the end of the day "okay." I felt a bit lost by some of the events and I do have limited knowledge of English history, certainly post World War I, as if the book was written somehow above me. At the end of the day, this is skippable. There are better books out there.
The cover is also compelling, and I love the art deco accents. Fitting for the time period.
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