Set during the iconic 1939 New York World’s Fair, two intrepid young women–an aspiring journalist and a down-on-her-luck actress–form an unlikely friendship as they navigate a world of endless possibility, stand down adversity, and find out what they are truly made of during the glorious summer of spectacle and opportunity…“An ode to female friendship that pulses with momentum and left me … friendship that pulses with momentum and left me breathless.” –Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls
“A remarkable novel about the challenges women face and the courage they must summon in order to lead the lives they deserve.” –Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two-Family House
Vivi Holden is closer than she’s ever been to living her dream as a lead actress in sun-dappled L.A., but an unfair turn of events sends her back to New York, a place she worked so hard to escape from. She has one last chance to get back to Hollywood–by performing well as the star of the heralded Aquacade synchronized swimming spectacular at the World’s Fair. Everything seems to be working against her, but her summer in New York will lead to her biggest opportunity to find her own way, on her own terms…
Maxine Roth wants nothing more than to be a serious journalist at the iconic New York Times, but her professor has other plans. Instead, she’s landed a post at the pop-up publication dedicated to covering the World’s Fair–and even then, her big ideas are continually overlooked by her male counterparts. Max didn’t work this hard to be the only–and an unheard one at that–woman in the room.
When Max and Vivi’s worlds collide, they forge an enduring friendship. One that shows them to be the daring, bold women they are, and one that teaches them to never stop holding on to what matters most, in the most meaningful summer of their lives.
PRAISE FOR THE SUBWAY GIRLS
“Feels perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Liza Klaussmann.” –Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones and The Six
“Feminist at heart …Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Camille Di Maio will adore this book.” –Jennifer S. Brown, bestselling author of Modern Girls
“Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis’s The Dollhouse, this engrossing tale highlights the role that ambition, sexism, and true love will forever play in women’s lives.” –Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions
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This was a light read about two young women with high career aspirations who spend their summer working at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Both Maxine “Max” Roth (journalism writer) and Vivi Holden (Hollywood actress) have plans for their successful futures, but soon learn they don’t have the control over their careers they thought they had. They meet each other about a quarter into the novel, and become friends. They share their hopes and dreams and give each other support and encouragement in how to achieve their summer goals and beyond.
The author accurately describes the sexist attitudes prevalent in this era and hints at the future of the women’s liberation movement that would gain power in the late 1960’s. The novel also depicts aspects of the World’s Fair in such vivid detail that I felt I could draw a map of the area – the buildings, the exhibits, the amusement zone. Schnall certainly did her research about the Fair and the time period. What I felt was lacking in the novel was the character development. I didn’t care about any of the characters, and thought Max was especially thoughtless – she was too impulsive and her plans never went the way she anticipated. Additionally, one thing I wanted to ask the author was why she chose to name the two girls’ boyfriends “James” and “Dean,” and then more than once write “James and Dean ordered the drinks” or “James and Dean walked to the back of the restaurant.” Am I the only one who thinks of the iconic 1950’s actor James Dean? It was distracting.
Despite my complaints, this was a well-researched novel that portrayed an American summer before WWII. It also gave readers a picture of the 1939 World’s Fair, described women supporting each other through their friendship, and it was refreshing to read a historical novel that didn’t include a war.
Thanks to the Book Club CookBook’s Galley Match program for a digital advance reader’s copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
Loved reading about the 1936 World’s Fair. Plus it was a good story about the two girls. Susie Schnall put in pictures and lots of facts about the fair. Really a fun read.
I always enjoy books written about the mid 20th century, taking place in New York.
The main setting for this book is the NewYork World’s Fair 1939. It follows the trials and tribulations of 2 young ladies working there, struggling to make their way in a man’s world. A harsh reminder that women had to fight tooth and nail to achieve their goals. One was an aspiring journalist, the other wanted to become an actress. Both had interesting backgrounds, a fair bit of drama going on.
The Fair setting is wonderful…..I love the descriptions of the exhibitions, the layout of the land. I attended Expo 67, I had some basis of comparison. It was an exciting time in 1967, I can imagine how exciting it must have been 30 years earlier. Google provided a lot of interesting details of the New York World’s Fair.
I loved how the author did a shout out (within context) to her previous book, The Subway Girls.
An interesting, entertaining and enjoyable book! Great for fans of Fiona Davis.
I absolutely adored the story of Max and Vivi. Definitely pick this one up!
WOW! Fabulous historical fiction! A great coming of age/life-changing story of Max and Vivi; two girls with big dreams who meet at the iconic 1939/40 world’s Fair. A tale of female friendship & support. In a time when women were often told what to do & how to act or not to act, Vivi & Max support one another, summoning their inner courage to realize their potential & reach their dreams! Pic shows my 1904 world’s Fair antiquing find Fab book!
“We Came Here to Shine” by Susie Orman Schnall (5 stars)
In this beautifully written historical fiction, Susie Orman Schnall writes about the 1939 World’s Fair held in NYC. I enjoyed the “behind the scenes” view of the fair. I especially loved the detailed descriptions of preparation for the performances at the Aquacade Amphitheater. This book was a delightful read with great characters. I love books with strong female friendships as did this one.
The chapters alternate between Vivi Holden, an actress and the Aquabelle Number One at the Aquacade, and Maxine (Max) Roth, a journalist for the fair’s daily newspaper. I had no problem keeping it straight as to whose perspective I was reading.
I was infuriated by the discrimination openly displayed against Max and Vivi, but this accurately reflected the times when the workplace was a man’s world. But Max and Vivi were both bold, forward-thinking women and were determined to shine. And shine they did.
I loved the references to the Miss Subways contest, the subject of Schnall’s previous book, “The Subway Girls”.
Great weekend read.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy of the book to read and review.
I received a free electronic copy of this ARC from Netgalley, Susie Orman Schnall, and St. Martin’s Press – Griffin. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I love everything I have read written by Susie Orman Schnall. All are unique tales in historically accurate, well-pictured settings and memorable, well-balanced protagonists, stories to savor immerse yourself in.
Maxine Roth is a confident, accomplished journalism student in NYC, looking at her last year of schooling in the fall. She will be doing a summer program set up by her college professor where his students work in the local publishing field – ending with a competition wherein students submit their best, published summer stories and the coverage considered the most balanced and well-written will result in a year’s free tuition. Max’s father has recently lost his long-term job and if she doesn’t get a scholarship of some sort she will have to quit school. Hoping for a spot with the NY Times, she is instead granted a job with the daily paper of the 1939 Queens World’s Fair, Today at the Fair. This was a job assignment that because of the misogynistic discrimination of her editor Hugh Collier will result in Max doing scheduling and grunt work all summer, with absolutely no opportunity for her to write any articles. All of the stories will be written by her fellow student Charlie Hull.
Vivi Holden, born Alessia Russo and raised in NYC, is a Hollywood contract actress with WorldWide Films Studio with a couple of small movie roles under her belt, looking forward to moving up in the movie hierarchy with a larger, more juicy role in the fall. But first, because of her extensive swimming competition efforts in high school, she will be ‘loaned’ to east coast producer Billy Rose, filling in for an injured Eleanor Holm as the female lead of the 1939 New York World’s Fair Aquacade, a water ballet in a pool the size of a football field and a venue that would seat ten thousand people. Vivi would be playing opposite Johnny Weissmuller, an accomplished Olympic swimmer and movie star of ‘Tarzan’ fame. She was scheduled to go through two weeks of rehearsal for the very complicated routine, which is turned into four days upon her arrival in New York City. Estranged from her only relatives, her sister Maria, brother-in-law Frank, and little Sophia, Vivi also intensely feels totally cut off from boyfriend Gabe and California friends as she works frantically to learn the routines involved in the water ballet.
These two young ladies, both disappointed in the cards they were dealt in the summer of 1939, work their way through personal difficulties, a world looking at imminent war, and family angst. And they find, in the search for their way, the true grit that makes them strong women in a man’s world… And a great hope for the future, as envisioned at the ‘World of Tomorrow’, 1939 New York World’s Fair.
Max is a young lady struggling to make it in journalism. She loses the internship she wanted at the New York Times to a man. She was given the internship at the Worlds Fair news paper. Not exactly what she wanted at all.
Vivi is an up and coming actress and she is replaced in film. She is then sent to NYC to perform in the Aquacade show at the Worlds Fair. She is under the impression that if she does this, she will be given a starring role in a film in the fall.
These two ladies struggle to overcome the male world during 1939. They are both unique characters in unique situations. I loved each storyline and the author did a great job melding them together. And the historical setting of the Worlds Fair is amazing.
This is great story about friendship, feminism, and strength with a good bit of history thrown into the mix. Grab your copy today. You will not be disappointed!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
An exceptionally written novel set at the 1939 World’s Fair. Schnall does a fantastic job capturing the vivid detail of the fair while portraying two strong, courageous women on a quest to live out their dreams.
What a wonderful look back at a time that probably most of us don’t think about when we think of ‘historical fiction’. We Came Here to Shine is set in 1939 at the New York World’s Fair. Life for both Vivi and Max take unexpected turns when they find themselves dropped into job opportunities that neither of them want.
Told in alternating chapters of the two women’s points of view, we learn a lot about the women—their pasts, their dreams, their loves, and their disappointments. The summer of 1939 might break the two women, or it just might make them stronger. I enjoyed watching the characters grow but it was hard watching them struggle. But remember the times, it wasn’t always easy for women back then.
This was also a wonderful look at a World’s Fair, an event I’ve never had a chance to attend. It would have been amazing to experience something of that magnitude. Having the World’s Fair as the backdrop to the story of these two women made the experience of reading this book just that more interesting.
We Came Here to Shine is a wonderful escape read when most of us are stuck at home. Give it a try!
This Book Should Be A Movie!
This a wonderful book. I couldn’t put it down and stayed up until 3 am to finish it. This a neat historical piece that looks at the 1939 Wold’s Fair in NYC, the unfair Hollywood movie contracts that made a young actor into an indentured servant, and the unfair labor practices and social mores against women in the workforce (especially in positions of power). Two young women become friends and open up huge doors into their future. The book is so well written! While reading it I could see the movie in my mind. This would make a great film. I would also enjoy a sequel or two. I received this ARC book from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
An actress and a journalist meet at the 1939 World’s Fair and drum up some interesting situations.
Both women have similar life disappointments and find the common ground of playing second fiddle. Max to a man, and Vivi because she looked too innocent for the part in a Hollywood production.
Max lost her hopes of working for The New York Times for the summer to another student. Max was assigned instead to a job as coordinator at the World’s Fair and not assigned to any article writing. She realized women were not considered to be as good in the journalistic field as men.
Vivi lost her Hollywood position to someone else and was sent to New York to perform at a synchronized swim event. This definitely wasn’t her choice of career paths.
We learn about both women in alternating chapters as they struggle through what is going on in their lives.
Ms. Schnall did a marvelous job of researching and of putting the reader in the characters’ lives as well as the World’s Fair. I enjoyed being at the World’s Fair both on the public side and the side of all those involved with making the fair happen.
If you need something to satisfy your historical fiction craving and to see how strong women made their way in 1939 in a man’s world, WE CAME HERE TO SHINE will be a lovely treat.
You will also be treated to secrets, gossip, lovely characters, a great story line, and the beauty of friendships. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enjoyable book, historical fiction, but a bit less intense as it wasn’t focused on war. I loved the characters and how strong and dedicated they were. It was so frustrating to see the struggles they went through being women in a man’s world. This was my first time reading this author and I would definitely read her work again. It kept my interest and she drew you into the story with just the right amount of detail. I had never read much about The World Fair so this was also interesting and a fun change. I would definitely recommend this book.
Kudos to Susie Orman Schnall, author of “We Came Here to Shine” for writing such a memorable, captivating, intriguing, entertaining, and thought-provoking novel. The Genre for this novel is Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story is 1939, at the World’s Fair in Queens, New York. I loved everything about this story. Susie Orman Schnall has such a wonderful way of vividly describing the characters, the events, the scenery, and captures it all in a wonderful novel. The author describes her colorful and dramatic cast of characters as complex, and competitive. There are secrets, betrayals, inequality between men and women, and certain subjects were best kept to oneself. This is a wonderful and heartfelt story about friendship, sisterhood, family, and searching and finding what one is truly looking for.
I have memories of my parents taking me to visit the World’s Fair at the same place in 1964. Some of the buildings were the same. I was a child, but so impressed what the future might bring, I do remember the excitement and trying to remember “everything”. I appreciate the hours of research the author did to describe her story.
Max, is a young, ambitious journalist, who wants to make her mark on the world. She finds that her assignment turns out to be at “The World’s Fair” daily paper instead of the New York Times. More than anything, Max wants to be taken as a serious journalist. She gets to meet Vivi, a Hollywood actress that has been sent to the World’s Fair to be the star in the”Acyacade” swimming, dancing, and singing program. Vivi feels that this will ruin her chances at her Hollywood career. Both women realize that their careers seem to be based on the whim of what men think is the best thing, not the right thing. Both of them do feel that women should be treated equally and by merit.
I appreciate that the author discusses topics as equality, homosexuality, the importance of family, friendship, communicating, love, and hope. This was in the times before the “me-too” movement and just before World War Two. The two friends realize what their priorities really should be, and make sure that’s how they follow their dreams and realities. I highly recommend this thought-provoking novel. Happy Reading!
This book is primarily set against the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and is the story of two young women who defied societal mores by defying the rules that said men could treat women like chattel and rule their lives. Vivi Holden is finally getting a chance to star in a movie in Hollywood, until, that is, the studio boss decides to give another actress Vivi’s role. He also decides, as a favor to Billy Rose, a Broadway producer, to send Vivi to NY to perform in Rose’s Acquacade synchronized swimming extravaganza. Maxine Roth dreams of being a reporter for the New York Times. She is a student whose professor has connections everywhere, including the NYT, and makes the decision on where each of his students is placed as a summer intern. He places Max, not with the NYT, but with the World Fair’s daily newspaper. The editor there assigns her to keep track of the events for each day and refuses to let her write any articles. Max and Vivi meet by chance and become close friends. Both long for something more, but will they have to settle?
This is Schnall’s second historical novel and it’s a doozy. Her characters are well drawn and you’re sure to root for them both. The setting is unique and Schnall makes the Fair come alive even after 80 years. The writing is outstanding. There are enough twists and turns in the book to keep you up at night wanting to finish a chapter or read the next one.
If you like well-written books about two women who become best friends, then this is the book for you, and it deserves to be at the top of your to-be-read list.
My thanks to St. Martin’s/Griffin and Edelweiss for an eARC.
Set in 1939 at New York’s World Fair, We Came Here to Shine tells the story of two strong and independent young women each trying to make a name for herself in her field. The book alternates chapters between the two women.
Vivi Holden is an actress under contract with WorldWide Films in Los Angeles. She’s been given the lead role in an upcoming film and is eager for the chance to prove her talent. Before production begins, she learns her role has been given to another and she is shipped off to New York to replace the lead female swimmer in the Aquacade, a swimming and dancing production at the World’s Fair.
Maxine Roth, who goes by Max, is a journalism student at NYU with dreams of becoming a well recognized journalist. When her hoped for internship at the New York Times doesn’t come through, she finds herself assigned to the World’s Fair daily newspaper. Much to her chagrin, the men in charge don’t believe women should write articles, and she is assigned to put the Fair’s daily schedule together.
Vivi and Max meet and forge a friendship that will last all of their lives. Each has a lot to teach and learn from the other, and the summer of 1939 becomes one that changes each of their lives.
I enjoyed how the author used the same paragraph to introduce the reader to Vivi and Max in the first chapter about her character. The paragraph itself had me intrigued from the start! “{Vivi Holden/Maxine Roth} would eventually realize that not getting what she wanted that day was the best thing that could have happened to her. But it was still early in {Los Angeles/New York}. And the not-getting hadn’t yet taken place.”
Schnall is very skilled at making her characters and her chosen time period come alive for the reader. The story line is very engaging, informative and entertaining.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Vivi Holden and Maxine (Max) Roth are two different women on very different paths in life. Little did they know that they would become best friends amidst the awe and wonder of the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City.
Max is a fledgling writer trying to make her way in a man’s world. The summer internship she covets is working for the New York Times. Her reality is being assigned to write the daily newspaper for the World’s Fair by her professor at NYU. Unfortunately, she is not the only one assigned to the Fair. Charlie, a fellow classmate will be working along side of Max. Charlie is assigned all of the coveted articles only because the boss feels women are better at organizing rather than actually being good writers.
Vivi is an actress that has been sent to NY from LA to become the lead swimmer in the Aquacade production. With an impossibly short time to learn the routine and the fact that she has not been in a pool since high school, she is up a creek without a paddle. To make matters worse, the person assigned to teaching her the difficult routines has been filling the role Vivi is taking. The only reason she has agreed to the part is because her manager has promised her the lead in a film as soon as the Fair closes.
Max and Vivi meet after listening to feminist Elizabeth Dorchester’s speech at the Democracity exhibit at the Fair. They quickly bond as both are inspired by the message of equality for women. Soon they are sharing their hopes, dreams and frustrations with each other. Vivi’s manager holds her life and career in his hands and Max’s editor holds her fate as a serious reporter in his. Both women will need to struggle and claim the path in life they want and need to take. Unfortunately, most women in 1939 are at the mercy of the men that employ them. Unbeknownst to them, both girls will become part of the movement to change the mindset of men and women alike as they fight for their personal rights to be heard.
We Came Here to Shine is like stepping into the past on a guided tour with friends. The characters are realistic and interesting. I enjoy the depth of each of the girls. They are dealing with not only equality issues, but deep personal issues as well. The World’s Fair looms bigger than life for the characters as well as the readers. The innovations that are detailed in this fascinating book are fun to experience with the characters. What is now outdated or taken for granted is all brand new for Vivi and Max as well as those who attend the 1939 World’s Fair.
This is the second book I’ve read by Susie Orman Schnall. I love the nod to the other book I read, The Subway Girls, that Ms. Orman Schnall weaves seamlessly into We Come Here to Shine. Her knowledge and research paint a beautiful background for her characters in both novels. I highly recommend both of these books. Both of them have solid, interesting plots that take
the reader back in time. Actual events in history are combined with interesting fictional people creating two of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read. I highly recommend them.
Copyright ©2020 Laura Hartman