The Roaring Days of Zora Lily Summary and Reviews

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Jennifer B. (Oviedo, FL)

Zora Lily
What a pleasure it is to be immersed in a story quickly when one begins a new book. The tale of Zora Lily kept my attention throughout with fresh perspectives of one of the most interesting times in history. Prohibition in America has been written about so many times, but this book comes at it from a different angle. The story of a young seamstress who dreams of being an innovative designer in Seattle is really creative. Her disappointments and victories were deftly descriptive, making Zora a very relatable character.

Cindy B. (Waukee, IA)

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily
Well developed characters as well as excellent descriptions of the settings allow the reader to be transported to the Roaring twenties. It is a wonderful story of perseverance and the belief in a dream at a time when career choices for women were limited. Historical fiction fans are sure to love this book!!

Catherine S. (Marietta, GA)

Superb Seattle Stylist's Story
The Roaring Days of Zora Lily is a terrific read, especially for fans of historical fiction. The main character, Zora Lily, is an engaging heroine and the supporting characters, members of her family and friends Rosa and Jessie are equally likable. The reader shares Zora's journey from poverty to fulfilling her dream of owning her own dress shop featuring her own designs. We see life from the tenements of Seattle to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood during the Twenties. Throughout her struggles, Zora relies on her inner strength and sense of purpose to guide her. I heartily recommend this book.

Susan R. (Julian, NC)

Coming of Age
This historical fiction book is very well written and researched. It's a dual timeline book but not really. The modern day part of the story is only about 10 of the novel to introduce Zora and the mystery surrounding her at the beginning and the result of the research at the end. Most of the story is about the transformation of a quiet shy poor girl who takes in sewing to becoming a well known designer who manages to find love along the way while constantly fighting her feelings of not being good enough no matter what success she was having.

In 2023, Sylvia is a conservator for the Smithsonian. She is in charge of a group working on a presentation of the clothes worn in a movie that came out in the 1920s. Every piece of clothing had to be perfect which meant repairing tears and sewing sequins back on. When she is working on a dress worn by Greta Garbo in the movie, the label of the dress designer falls out and she sees the name Zora Lily under the tag. This is enough to make her want to research who Zora Lily was and why her name is on the movie dresses.

We first meet Zora in 1924. She lives an improvised life with her mother, alcoholic father and 6 siblings. She spends her days repairing dresses with her mother even as she dreams of designing dresses. One night her friend Rose talks her into going out to a club and it begins to change Zora. She enjoys the freedom and when she gets a job as a nanny for a rich couple, she sees how rich people live. The more she is around people other than her family, the more she is sure that she needs to follow her dreams and become more self-reliant. Her ambition even takes her to Hollywood but is the fame worth losing her family and her dreams? She has to make major decisions about what she really wants out of life and whether the cost of the dreams is worth making them come true.

I loved the character of Zora. She remained true to herself even when she was put into difficult situations. Her family remained her touchstone and she was always happiest when she was with them. Her romance is really exciting even though I was never sure of what the outcome would be and if there was too much difference between Zora and Harley to keep them from having their happily ever after.

The other thing that I found exciting about this book was the description of the clothes. The clothes Zora designed for the women in the clubs and for a Hollywood movie and how her experience made her an even better seamstress and designer. I ended up goggling a lot of the fashion from this time in history so that I could picture what was being described.

This book is a tremendous coming of age novel full of fantastic characters and descriptions of lots of beautiful clothes. I highly recommend it!

Wanda T. (Wilmington, DE)

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily
A young woman, Sylvia, who works at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History is getting costumes together for the Hollywood Glamour Exhibition. While working on the costume for the final film worn by Greta Garbo, designed by Michele Clemente who was a well known designer of the 20's and 30's, a tag falls off the costume revealing another name, Zora Lily. Who was Zora Lily? An so the life of Zora Lily begins. It's a story of dreams, ambition, heartbreak and happiness.
I enjoyed following Zora through her fun times, struggles and heartaches but in the end she gets her well deserved recogniton. As you read this book you are immediately drawn into Zora's life and the excitement of the roaring 20's as well as a captivating cast of characters!

Linda S. (West Linn, OR)

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar
I thoroughly enjoyed The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar. The setting is Seattle, Washington, 1924. The characters are quite likable and the abundant sections of dialogue make for easy, interesting reading. Most of the novel is focused on the goals and aspirations of the young adults, especially the narrator, Zora, who faces many challenges as she acquires skills and knowledge in her desire to become a clothing designer and business owner. We share her struggles and hard work along with the support and encouragement of her friends and family as she sets out to learn the trade. I especially enjoyed the clothing descriptions and how ladies' fashions were designed and constructed in this era. Along with some romance, life during prohibition, and society's prejudices in the 1920's, the story moves along quickly and keeps the reader's interest. The high point of the novel for me was the ending. It touched me emotionally, tied up the story beautifully, and made me happy.

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