Frolicking in the Jungle

I just re-read The Velvet Jungle by Julie Ellis. It's a story that takes the reader on a journey with two young girls whose lives have been tainted by war. The story of Vanessa Conrad and Tina Gregory is a touching and enchanting one.
Vanessa’s dream is to become a world-class designer and compete with the industry’s greatest, and make her mark on Fifth Avenue New York. Her best friend Tina wishes to give Rita Hayworth and Ingrid Bergman a run for their money.
From a happy childhood to rather forsaken teenage years, ever since her father died, Vanessa knew that her life was not to remain in Pinewood, NY. The mother saw her as a burden, but that did not stop her from seeking her love. Though it hurt her to leave Pinewood, she knew that only New York can unlock the chest that held her dreams.
Ellis writes this story in such an engaging way that the reader is consumed by each characters journey with intensity. At the epicentre of this story is, of course, Vanessa Conrad; but her quest to become a designer is not the top priority, we later learn. Her quest for love and companionship is fuel that drives the story, along with the heartache that Hitler’s war has brought to her life.
Vanessa falls in love with Eddie but like any able bodied man of the time, he had to go off to war. This separation tears Vanessa’s world apart and all that kept her going was the loving friendship she shared with Tina, who soon had to leave in order to answer the call of Hollywood. In order to survive, she looked to her sketches and the letters she received from Eddie every now and again.
The Velvet Jungle is wonderful read, which takes us on a journey of girl who had to become a woman in order to have a fighting chance in the world she was left in. It is a story of love, pain, sex, ambition and dreams. Anything is possible if you work hard enough and believe; the jungle is not so bad when it is made of velvet.