Melanie Benjamin, author portrait
© Amy Bissonette Photography

Melanie Benjamin

Melanie Benjamin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Children’s Blizzard, Mistress of the Ritz, The Girls in the Picture, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator's Wife, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and Alice I Have Been. Benjamin lives in Chicago, Illinois, where she is at work on her next historical novel.

What I'm Reading: Melanie Benjamin (author of MISTRESS OF THE RITZ)

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What I'm Reading: Melanie Benjamin (author of MISTRESS OF THE RITZ)

#FridayReads: California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Southern California, 1960s: endless sunny days surfing in Malibu, followed by glittering neon nights at Whisky a Go Go. In an era when women are expected to be housewives, Carol Donnelly breaks the mold as a legendary female surfer struggling to compete in a male-dominated sport—and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, bear the weight of Carol’s unconventional lifestyle.

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