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Climbing the corporate ladder can be difficult for anyone at any company—but especially when the odds are stacked against you. And Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas follows three young women as they try to make it in a male-dominated industry in the ‘80s.
The story follows three ambitious young women as they fight to rise through the ranks of Hollywood’s biggest agency. Mercedes Baxter learned at a young age to find herself a wealthy patron to give her the kind of security she needs. Free-spirited Ella Gaddy left her posh debutante life behind to start over in Hollywood. And California girl Beanie Rosen has spent her life trying to keep up with her mother’s expectations while chasing her own dreams. All three find their own ways to navigate the old boys’ club and get the opportunities they want.
In an industry where men will be boys and women are expected to be pretty and dim-witted and subservient, these three young women don’t have a whole lot of role models—yet they’re determined to defy the odds to rise to the levels of fame and fortune and power that few have reached before them. And, in order to do that, they often have to resort to lying, cheating, and backstabbing—whatever it takes to earn the next promotion or sign the next client.
This insider’s look behind the scenes of the entertainment industry is a mix of dishy and fierce—a little bit of Hollywood gossip, a little bit of office politics. For these women, it doesn’t happen overnight—and while that’s certainly realistic, it can make the novel feel long and drawn-out.
Despite the success that they eventually achieve, though, all three are rather tragic figures: the abandoned girl who had to fight to survive, the black sheep who broke away from her family’s expectations, and the girl who turned her need to feel loved and appreciated into a need for power and fame. You won’t always approve of the things they have to do to get what they want, but you’ll cheer for them to beat the system—though you may walk away feeling like their hard work didn’t really get them what they wanted in life.
This story of three women fighting to make it in a man’s world is definitely inspiring—but Climbing in Heels isn’t really a happily-ever-after kind of story. Readers will fall in love with these flawed characters—and hope they find some kind of happiness in the end.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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