Biltmore Girl

The Historic Hotels Collection

By: Dawn Klinge

Narrated by: Ellen Quay

New York City, 1968. Elka Hansen, a former teen cover girl, is done with modeling. Now she’s a hostess for the Palm Court restaurant in the beautiful Biltmore Hotel. As she sees it, Elka’s other job is to watch out for her younger sister, Colleen, an idealistic but reckless college student at Barnard.

With her sister, Elka attends her first civil-rights protest, and there, she runs into Jacob Lewis, a co-worker from the Biltmore. He’s a student at Columbia University and a friend of Colleen’s. Jacob becomes an unexpected ally when rescuing her sister from trouble becomes more than Elka can handle independently. Out of this turmoil, a romance grows between Jacob and Elka, but can it last?

©2021 Dawn Klinge (P)2021 Dawn Klinge

Nice setting for this historical novel

1968 comes to life in this novel by Dawn Klinge. Former teen model Elka Hansen works at the Palm Court at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, and wants to establish an identity beyond her former glory. She has a good reputation at the hotel, but will an injury sideline her rise to management?

Jacob Lewis wants to go to law school, but while he waits for acceptance letters, he works and studies hard. Is New York going to be his home, or will his native Seattle call him back?

I really appreciated the look at this era. The author seamlessly weaves in the culture of the day, from the war in Vietnam War to the civil rights movement to political shifts. There's so much in this little book! I liked the characters, but the setting of the novel may have been my favorite thing about it.

The characters in this novel are Catholic, attend mass, and grasp rosary beads when they are upset. It was a different faith journey than my typical reading selections, though it was genuine and fitting for the characters. Some readers may feel differently.

Overall, a sweet read in a time period which should definitely be covered more. The narration is very well done and thoroughly engaging.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.