Now out: Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl

Readers will be drawn to this book by its inviting cover. They will stay to read the story.

Estee Lauder became one of the best known women in the cosmetics industry. Now her name is attached to companies, charities, exhibits and more. Once, though, she was a woman trying to find her way.

As this story opens Estee is selling face creams and treatments out of a not very deluxe beauty parlor. Readers learn that she is the main support of her husband and young son, Leon. Estee is fortunate to have ambition and a strong belief in her self and her products. She will need those qualities.

At this salon, Estee meets a young woman who is down on her luck. Gloria has a father who committed the sorts of crimes that nowadays we would associate with someone like Madoff. Her difficulties and bad publicity cause Gloria to take on this new name. She also has to navigate so much more than she was raised to do in her life of wealth and elegance. Horrors! The first job of this formerly wealthy woman is as a shampoo girl.

This story about Estee is told through Gloria’s eyes. It is also the story of Gloria. Read along as these two women find their way in 20th century America.

This book is recommended to readers of both historical and women’s fiction. It is definitely worth a look to see how the real Estee and fictional Gloria are entwined and help one another.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In this captivating novel, Renée Rosen invites readers to peer behind the lovely facade of the iconic Estee Lauder, at her real origin and hardscrabble rise. This illuminating tale about ambition and friendship between Estee and Gloria Downing, another young woman who has changed her name and her identity, explores the dangers inherent in embellishing the truth. A fascinating glimpse into a legend who has changed the face of cosmetics forever.”
—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Personal Librarian and The Mitford Affair

“A scintillating, beautifully written peek into the life of one of America’s most fascinating women, Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is an ode to the singular magic of chasing and catching one’s wildest dreams. Through Renee Rosen’s well-trained pen, Estée Lauder returns, living and breathing on every page. Rosen is at the height of her storytelling prowess with this glittering novel that shines as brightly as the heroine at its center. I absolutely could not put it down. “
—Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Wedding Veil
 
“A dazzling story of the beauty of female friendship and the dogged persistence of a cosmetics legend who knew that she—and the women around her—were meant for more… Estée Lauder was a force to be reckoned with and her ambition and drive leap off the page in Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl!”
—Stephanie Marie Thornton, USA Today bestselling author of A Most Clever Girl

“Like the perfect red lipstick, Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is both utterly stylish and satisfying. Renée Rosen deftly shows us what a determined dreamer Estee Lauder was and, in so doing, creates a heroine as timeless and remarkable as the products she introduced to women all around the world. A truly inspiring rags to riches tale, told by a wonderful storyteller.”
—Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Riviera House